Neither Alex Smith or Julian Edelman are HOF'ers. I hate to sound like a grouch, but here's my take.
Edelman only had three 1,000 seasons, would have been four if he had 28 more yards in 2014. Not once he was invited to the Pro Bowl. He wasn't a top tier receivers like Calvin Johnson, Odell Beckham Jr, Antonio Brown, AJ Green, and so on. Now in the playoffs, he was very productive, thanks to the leadership of Tom Brady when he was there. Besides Gronk, he was one of the go-to guys to catch the ball when you need him. He's put up 1,442 yards, 118 receptions in those playoff runs. I think he's only memorable for his playoff runs than the regular season IMO.
For Smith, I think his career lagged at the beginning from his rookie season, until he had moderate success in 2011 and went to the Chiefs a couple seasons later. He was terrific in KC, putting up better numbers and had receivers around him. He was invited to three Pro Bowls with the team. Then he was traded to Washington, where he suffered not only a career threatening injury, but a life threatening one. His comeback last season was remarkable, with the hell he went through, to get back to the game he loved. I think his retirement was the best decision. He can't afford to get hurt anymore, especially after those injuries. He still had a good career, but his career was not exactly as memorable as it should have been.