Adrian Cooper is a career quality starter β a tight end whose body of work places Cooper in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Cooper's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Adrian Cooper
Top 21% all-time TEsHigh-End Starter
Height6'5"
Weight255 lb
BornApr 27, 1968
Age58
CollegeOklahomaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1991
Draft1991 Β· Rd 4, Pick 103 Β· PIT
A quality tight end with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 76 Β· #1485 Β· Above AverageWorth 76 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 33% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 5 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +15.2 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+15.2
Avg surplus
peak +26
5 seasons Γ ~15.2 surplus β VORP 76
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 | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1991 | β | PIT | 16 | β | β | 11 | 147 | 2 | β | 13.4 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | PIT | 16 | β | β | 16 | 197 | 3 | β | 12.3 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | PIT | 14 | β | β | 9 | 112 | 0 | β | 12.4 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | MIN | 12 | β | β | 32 | 363 | 0 | β | 11.3 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | MIN | 13 | β | β | 18 | 207 | 0 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | SFO | 6 | β | β | 1 | 11 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 77 | β | β | 174 | 2,074 | 10 | β | 11.9 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 11 | 147 | 2 | β | 13.4 | β | β | β | 9.4 |
| 1992 | 24 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 16 | 197 | 3 | β | 12.3 | β | β | β | 11.7 |
| 1993 | 25 | PIT | 14 | β | β | 9 | 112 | 0 | β | 12.4 | β | β | β | 5.3 |
| 1994 | 26 | MIN | 12 | β | β | 32 | 363 | 0 | β | 11.3 | β | β | β | 8.9 |
| 1995 | 27 | MIN | 13 | β | β | 18 | 207 | 0 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β | 7.6 |
| 1996 | 28 | SFO | 6 | β | β | 1 | 11 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β | 2.5 |
| Career | 77 | β | 174 | 2,074 | 10 | β | 11.9 | β | β | β | 45.4 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 61 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 61 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
58
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
64
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 60.4 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 61Β· confidence 96%
What builds the career mark of 58
On-field 41.1
Availability 16.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1991bestavg 56elite 701996
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position10
Depth
of 100
Reached 11% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
11% of the all-time Receptions leader11
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: 91%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· 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 (Oklahoma), 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
Gary AndersonK3yRod WoodsonFS3yCarnell LakeDB3yDwight StoneWR3yJeff GrahamWR3yNeil O'DonnellQB3yMerril HogeFB3yRoy BarkerDT3yDonald EvansDE3yLeroy ThompsonRB3yBarry FosterRB3yErnie MillsWR3yCris CarterWR2yWarren MoonQB2yJohn RandleDT2yHardy NickersonMLB2yRobert GriffithFS2yLevon KirklandMLB2yDewayne WashingtonDB2yMike SaxonP2yMark RoyalsP2yJack Del RioMLB2yBrad JohnsonQB2yJake ReedWR2y
1991 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #103
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterAdrian inherited the Pittsburgh Steelers TE room from Mike Mularkey (1989β1991), and handed it to Jonathan Hayes (1994β1996).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1996team change
Joined SFO (from MIN)
- 1996final season
Last recorded season with SFO
- 1994team change
Joined MIN (from PIT)
- 1991draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 4, Pick 103
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'5" / 255 lb
Frame
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 6-season peers. See all β
61
peak 64
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1991
B1992
C+1993
B+1994
B1995
D1996
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
80%
Era Translator
Rec Yds 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 Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | β 2025 Rec Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 147 | 9.2 | 387+240 | 22.8 |
| 1992 | 197 | 12.3 | 441+244 | 25.9 |
| 1993 | 112 | 8 | 328+216 | 19.3 |
| 1994 | 363 | 30.3 | 825+462 | 48.5 |
| 1995 | 207 | 15.9 | 504+297 | 29.6 |
| 1996 | 11 | 1.8 | 236+225 | 13.9 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
76 career value over replacement β #1485 all-time of 4,642. 12.7/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #103 (Rd 4) Β· PIT Β· 1991 Β· +24.2 vs expected KV-H
61actual
36.8 expected Β· Ξ+24.2
Fan Rating
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