Aaron Smith is a career quality starter β a pass rusher whose body of work places Smith in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Smith's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Aaron Smith
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
A top 20% all-time edge rusher who consistently made an impact across multiple seasons.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 123 Β· #836 Β· High-ValueWorth 123 points of value above a freely-available replacement edge rusher β top 19% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 9 of 12 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +13.7 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
9 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
51
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
9
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+13.7
Avg surplus
peak +27
9 seasons Γ ~13.7 surplus β VORP 123
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1999 | β | PIT | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | β | PIT | 13 | β | 36 | 21 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 4.0 | 17.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | PIT | 13 | β | 22 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 8.0 | 27.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 55 | 38 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 5.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 39 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 38 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | PIT | 14 | β | 31 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 48 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | β | PIT | 11 | β | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 42 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 5.5 | 22.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | β | PIT | 4 | β | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | β | PIT | 6 | β | 12 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | β | PIT | 4 | β | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 145 | β | 360 | 233 | 127 | 48 | 41 | 43.0 | 132.0 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 23 | PIT | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2000 | 24 | PIT | 13 | β | 36 | 21 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 4.0 | 17.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 9.2 |
| 2001 | 25 | PIT | 13 | β | 22 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 8.0 | 27.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 13.9 |
| 2002 | 26 | PIT | 16 | β | 55 | 38 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 5.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13.4 |
| 2003 | 27 | PIT | 16 | β | 39 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 9.1 |
| 2004 | 28 | PIT | 15 | β | 38 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 |
| 2005 | 29 | PIT | 14 | β | 31 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 |
| 2006 | 30 | PIT | 15 | β | 48 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 |
| 2007 | 31 | PIT | 11 | β | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 |
| 2008 | 32 | PIT | 16 | β | 42 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 5.5 | 22.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 12.7 |
| 2009 | 33 | PIT | 4 | β | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2010 | 34 | PIT | 6 | β | 12 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 2.3 |
| 2011 | 35 | PIT | 4 | β | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 145 | 360 | 233 | 127 | 48 | 41 | β | β | 1 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 104.5 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 12 scored seasons.
61
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
74
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 66.2 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 90%
What builds the career mark of 61
On-field 44.2
Availability 16.8
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
2000bestavg 55elite 702011
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position20
Depth
of 100
Reached 22% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
22% of the all-time Sacks leader22
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 92%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average edge rushers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
13 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl28Solo15Ast13TFL3QBHits2Sk3.0Dis8.0FR1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Northern Colorado), 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 β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Hines WardWR13yDeshea TownsendDB11yCasey HamptonNT11yJames FarriorILB10yIke TaylorCB9yTroy PolamaluS9yLarry FooteMLB9yJeff ReedK9yJerame TumanTE9yBen RoethlisbergerQB8yJoey PorterOLB8yJames HarrisonOLB8yBrett KeiselDE8yDan KreiderFB8yChris HokeNT8yHeath MillerTE7yJerome BettisRB7yClark HaggansLB7yCharlie BatchQB7yKimo von OelhoffenDT6yRyan ClarkFS6yTyrone CarterDB6yTravis KirschkeDE6yChad ScottCB6y
1999 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #109
#100Hannibal NaviesLB#101Joe GermaineQB#102Dameane DouglasWR#103Sedrick IrvinRB#104Jason PerryDB#105Brandon StokleyWR#106Warrick HoldmanLB#108Larry ParkerWR#110Pierson PrioleauS#111Rosevelt ColvinLB#112Sean BennettRB#113Dexter JacksonS#115Antonio CochranDE#116Joel MakovickaFB#117Donald MitchellDB#118Wane McGarityWR
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterAaron inherited the Pittsburgh Steelers DL room from Orpheus Roye (1999β2008), and handed it to Kimo von Oelhoffen (2000β2005).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2011final season
Last recorded season with PIT
- 1999draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 4, Pick 109
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'5" / 298 lb
Frame
Injury History
13 career games missed (Out)From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | PIT | 3 | W5OutΒ· FootW6OutΒ· FootW7OutΒ· Foot |
| 2010 | PIT | 10 | W8OutΒ· TricepsW9OutΒ· TricepsW10OutΒ· TricepsW11OutΒ· TricepsW12OutΒ· TricepsW13OutΒ· TricepsW14OutΒ· TricepsW15OutΒ· TricepsW16OutΒ· TricepsW17OutΒ· TricepsW19DoubtfulΒ· TricepsW20DoubtfulΒ· Triceps+1 more |
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 12-season peers. See all β
68
peak 74
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B2000
B+2001
B2002
C+2003
B+2004
C+2005
B2006
C+2007
B2008
D2009
F2010
F2011
Availability
Era Translator
Sacks translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Sacks | Sacks/G | β 2025 Sacks | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4 | 0.3 | 5+1 | 0.3 |
| 2001 | 8 | 0.6 | 10+2 | 0.6 |
| 2002 | 5.5 | 0.3 | 6+0.5 | 0.3 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | 0.1 |
| 2004 | 7 | 0.5 | 8+1 | 0.5 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | 0.1 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0.3 | 4 | 0.3 |
| 2007 | 3 | 0.3 | 5+2 | 0.3 |
| 2008 | 5.5 | 0.3 | 6+0.5 | 0.3 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0.5 | 9+7 | 0.5 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
123 career value over replacement β #836 all-time of 4,642. 10.3/season above a replacement-level EDGE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #109 (Rd 4) Β· PIT Β· 1999 Β· +31.2 vs expected KV-H
68actual
36.8 expected Β· Ξ+31.2
Fan Rating
Rate Aaron Smith β All-Time
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