A.J. Derby
Role Player⭐ Shooting Star · 2017
A tight end who contributed in a defined role. Their developmental reflects a career built on specific contributions rather than volume.
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.
4 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | Defense | Snap Counts | Advanced (EPA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Rec EPA | Pass AirYd | Rec AirYd | |||||
| 2016 | — | DEN | 6 | — | 20 | 16 | 160 | 0 | 80.0% | 10.0 | 8.0 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 223 | 32.7% | — | 0.0% | 64 | 22.9% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.8 | 0 | 135 |
| 2017 | — | MIA | 11 | — | 40 | 21 | 244 | 2 | 52.5% | 11.6 | 6.1 | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | KC | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | DEN | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 336 | 44.3% | — | 0.0% | 62 | 19.9% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | -7.4 | 0 | 362 |
| 2018 | — | MIA | 3 | — | 5 | 3 | 48 | 1 | 60.0% | 16.0 | 9.6 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 124 | 51.8% | — | 0.0% | 42 | 40.0% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2.0 | 0 | 44 |
| Career | — | 34 | — | 65 | 40 | 452 | 3 | 61.5% | 11.3 | 7.0 | — | 21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 683 | 42.9% | — | 0.0% | 168 | 27.6% | — | — | -1.6 | 0 | 541 | |
Career EPA-1.6·-2 receiving·-0.5/season
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 | DEN | 6 | 0* | 20 | 16 | 160 | 0 | 80.0% | 10.0 | 8.0 | — | 7 | 2.6 |
| 2017 | 26 | MIA | 11 | 0* | 40 | 21 | 244 | 2 | 52.5% | 11.6 | 6.1 | — | 11 | 6.9 |
| 2018 | 27 | MIA | 3 | 2* | 5 | 3 | 48 | 1 | 60.0% | 16.0 | 9.6 | — | 3 | — |
| Career | 20 | 2* | 65 | 40 | 452 | 3 | 61.5% | 11.3 | 7.0 | — | 21 | 9.5 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 | DEN | 10 | 0* | 223 | 32.7% | — | 0.0% | 64 | 22.9% |
| 2017 | 26 | DEN | 11 | 0* | 336 | 44.3% | — | 0.0% | 62 | 19.9% |
| 2018 | 27 | MIA | 4 | 2* | 124 | 51.8% | — | 0.0% | 42 | 40.0% |
| Career | 25 | 2* | 683 | — | — | — | 168 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Advanced (EPA)
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Rec EPA | Pass AirYd | Rec AirYd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 | — | — | 0* | — | — | 3.8 | 0 | 135 |
| 2017 | 26 | — | — | 0* | — | — | -7.4 | 0 | 362 |
| 2018 | 27 | — | — | 2* | — | — | 2.0 | 0 | 44 |
| Career | 2* | — | — | — | 0 | 541 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Advanced Receiving (2018+)
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | ADOT | YBC/R | YAC/R | BrkTkl | Drops | Drop% | 1D | TgtRate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 27 | MIA | 4 | 2* | 8.8 | 13.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 131.7 |
| Career | 4 | 2* | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 36 · Depth / RotationalA depth / rotational career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 36 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 2 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
47
Sustained
career value
×.6
45
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×0.79
Longevity
career length
Blend 46.2 × longevity 0.79 = KV-H 36· confidence 88%
What builds the career mark of 47
On-field 36.1
Availability 10.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
2016bestavg 452017
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position7
Depth
of 100
Reached 3% of the all-time Receptions leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
3% of the all-time Receptions leader3
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
-0.52 EPA/season over 3 seasons50
A 0–100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data — career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence — so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite ≥ 85 · Strong ≥ 65 · Solid ≥ 45 · Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 90%.
Per-Snap Impact
Tight Ends · proprietary · 2012+47
Solid
SIS
Yards/snap0.662Touch rate0.095EPA/snap-0.002Snap share42.9%Off snaps683ReliableCV 0.26
Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within tight ends, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Arkansas; Coffeyville CC; Iowa), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters — every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Von MillerOLB2yBrandon McManusK2yEmmanuel SandersWR2yRiley DixonP2yCasey KreiterLS2yDemaryius ThomasWR2yAqib TalibCB2yCameron WakeLB2yLaremy TunsilOT2yDavon GodchauxDT2yKenny StillsWR2yJustin SimmonsFS2yBradley RobyCB2yShaquil BarrettLB2yWilliam HayesDE2yDarian StewartS2yMax GarciaG2yAdam GotsisDE2yBobby McCainCB2yReshad JonesFS2yDerek WolfeDE2yDeVante ParkerWR2yMatt HaackP2yCharles HarrisLB2y
2015 Draft Class· this player went #202
#192Darius PhilonDT#194Nick O'LearyTE#195Malcolm JohnsonRB#196Randall EvansCB#197Derron SmithFS#198Randall TelferTE#199L.T. WaltonDE#200Quandre DiggsS#203Darius KilgoNT#204Darren WallerTE#205Josh RobinsonRB#206Aaron RipkowskiFB#207Amarlo HerreraLB#208Andy GallikC#209Obum GwachamLB#210Christian RingoDE
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2018final season
Last recorded season with MIA
- 2017team change
Joined MIA (from DEN)
- 2016team change
Joined DEN (from NE)
- 2015draft
Drafted by NE — Round 6, Pick 202
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'5" / 240 lb
Frame
Injury History
5 career games missed (Out)From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MIA | 2 | W4Out· FootW5Out· FootW6Questionable· FootW7Questionable· FootW8Questionable· FootW9Questionable· FootW10Questionable· FootW12Questionable· Foot / KneeW13Questionable· Foot / Knee |
| 2017 | DEN | 1 | W11Out· Shoulder |
| 2016 | DEN | 2 | W16Out· ConcussionW17Out· Concussion |
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works →
Historical Knox · KV-H
Era-normalized career quality — z-scored against 2-season peers. See all →
36
peak 45
Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season
D2016
C+2017
Availability
Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 3 seasons.
52%
20162018
2016 · Concussion · 63%2017 · Shoulder · 69%
Era Translator
Rec Yds translated to the 2025NFL — each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | → 2025 Rec Yds | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 160 | 26.7 | 461+301 | 27.1 |
| 2017 | 244 | 22.2 | 383+139 | 22.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026
Draft OutcomeValue ↑
Pick #202 (Rd 6) · NE · 2015 · +11.6 vs expected KV-H
36actual
24.4 expected · Δ+11.6
Fan Rating
Rate A.J. Derby — All-Time
Tap a star to rate
Explore More
Similar Players