Benjamin Watson ranks in the all-time elite tier for tight ends — a career that places Watson in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Watson a career score of 71, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.

TENE#84ACT

Benjamin Watson

👑 Dynasty DNA · 16 seasons · 4 titles Top 8% all-time TEsElite Playmaker📈 Late Developer · 2015Two-Way Profile

Height6'3"

Weight255 lb

BornDec 18, 1980

Age45

CollegeGeorgia; Duke See College Stats

ConferenceSoutheastern

Rookie yr2004

Draft2004 · Rd 1, Pick 32 · NE

All-Time Rank & Honors

career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context

Postseason all-time ranks

88thPlayoff Receiving Touchdowns·3

Title Seasons

Dynasty Seasons

Archetype Intelligence

Elite PlaymakerExplore archetypes →

A top 10% all-time tight end who consistently made an impact across multiple seasons. Average per-snap value reinforces the playmaking ability.

Career Value · VORP

VORP 224 · #297 · Elite

Worth 224 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end — top 7% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 14 of 14 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16 on average.See board →

Seasons above replacement

14 cleared

Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit

Replacement

the KC-H bar

→

Seasons over

cleared the bar

+16

Avg surplus

peak +33

14 seasons × ~16 surplus ≈ VORP 224

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									Rushing								Defense													Snap Counts
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	TD	Sfty	Off	Off%	Def	Def%	ST	ST%
2004	—	NE	1	—	2	2	16	0	100.0%	8.0	8.0	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	—	NE	14	—	29	29	441	4	100.0%	15.2	15.2	—	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	—	MIA	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	—	NE	13	—	50	50	657	3	100.0%	13.1	13.1	—	33	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	—	MIA	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	3	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007	—	NE	12	—	36	36	389	6	100.0%	10.8	10.8	—	21	1	11	0	11.0	0.0	1	100.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	NE	10	—	22	22	209	2	100.0%	9.5	9.5	—	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	PIT	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	—	NE	12	—	41	29	404	5	70.7%	13.9	9.9	—	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	—	TB	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010	—	CLE	16	—	102	68	763	3	66.7%	11.2	7.5	—	40	1	-1	0	-1.0	0.0	0	0.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010	—	PIT	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011	—	CLE	13	—	71	37	410	2	52.1%	11.1	5.8	—	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011	—	PIT	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012	—	CLE	16	—	81	49	501	3	60.5%	10.2	6.2	—	27	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2013	—	NO	14	—	30	19	226	2	63.3%	11.9	7.5	—	14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	497	47.2%	—	0.0%	78	18.5%
2014	—	NO	14	—	31	20	136	2	64.5%	6.8	4.4	—	9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	571	49.8%	—	0.0%	76	16.8%
2014	—	GB	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2015	—	NO	16	—	110	74	825	6	67.3%	11.1	7.5	—	42	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	984	85.4%	—	0.0%	78	16.8%
2015	—	CAR	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2017	—	BAL	16	—	79	61	522	4	77.2%	8.6	6.6	—	30	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	700	64.3%	—	0.0%	1	3.0%
2017	—	TEN	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	4	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2018	—	NO	13	—	46	35	400	2	76.1%	11.4	8.7	—	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	507	47.9%	—	0.0%	16	6.3%
2018	—	CAR	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
2019	—	NE	9	—	24	17	173	0	70.8%	10.2	7.2	—	9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	467	65.6%	—	0.0%	—	0.0%
Career		—	206	—	754	548	6,072	44	72.7%	11.1	8.1	—	322	2	10	0	5.0	0.0	1	50.0	0	19	19	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3,726	60.0%	—	0.0%	249	12.3%

Career EPA291.6·-1 rushing · 292 receiving·19.4/season

Rushing

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	VAL
2007	27	NE	12	—	1	11	11.0	0.0	1	100.0	10.8
2010	30	CLE	16	—	1	-1	-1.0	0.0	0	0.0	14
Career			28		2	10	5.0	—	1	—	143

Receiving

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
2004	24	NE	1	—	2	2	16	0	100.0%	8.0	8.0	—	1
2005	25	NE	14	—	29	29	441	4	100.0%	15.2	15.2	—	22
2006	26	NE	13	—	50	50	657	3	100.0%	13.1	13.1	—	33
2007	27	NE	12	—	36	36	389	6	100.0%	10.8	10.8	—	21
2008	28	NE	10	—	22	22	209	2	100.0%	9.5	9.5	—	12
2009	29	NE	12	—	41	29	404	5	70.7%	13.9	9.9	—	20
2010	30	CLE	16	—	102	68	763	3	66.7%	11.2	7.5	—	40
2011	31	CLE	13	—	71	37	410	2	52.1%	11.1	5.8	—	21
2012	32	CLE	16	—	81	49	501	3	60.5%	10.2	6.2	—	27
2013	33	NO	14	0*	30	19	226	2	63.3%	11.9	7.5	—	14
2014	34	NO	14	0*	31	20	136	2	64.5%	6.8	4.4	—	9
2015	35	NO	16	14*	110	74	825	6	67.3%	11.1	7.5	—	42
2017	37	BAL	16	10*	79	61	522	4	77.2%	8.6	6.6	—	30
2018	38	NO	13	0*	46	35	400	2	76.1%	11.4	8.7	—	21
2019	39	NE	9	7*	24	17	173	0	70.8%	10.2	7.2	—	9
Career			189	31*	754	548	6,072	44	72.7%	11.1	8.1	—	322

* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)

Defense

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tkl	Solo	Sk	Dis	FR
2005	25	MIA	1	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
2006	26	MIA	3	—	3	3	0.0	0.0	—
2007	27	NE	1	—	0	0	0.0	0.0	1
2008	28	PIT	2	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
2009	29	TB	1	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
2010	30	PIT	1	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
2011	31	PIT	2	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
2014	34	GB	1	0*	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
2015	35	CAR	2	2*	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
2017	37	TEN	3	3*	4	4	0.0	0.0	—
2018	38	CAR	1	0*	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
Career			18	5*	19	19	—	—	1

* 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%
2013	33	NO	15	0*	497	47.2%	—	0.0%	78	18.5%
2014	34	NO	16	0*	571	49.8%	—	0.0%	76	16.8%
2015	35	NO	16	14*	984	85.4%	—	0.0%	78	16.8%
2017	37	BAL	16	10*	700	64.3%	—	0.0%	1	3.0%
2018	38	NO	16	0*	507	47.9%	—	0.0%	16	6.3%
2019	39	NE	10	7*	467	65.6%	—	0.0%	—	0.0%
Career			89	31*	3,726	—	—	—	249	—

* 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	Rec AirYd
2004	24	—	—	—	—	—	1.3	0
2005	25	—	—	—	—	—	43.8	0
2006	26	—	—	—	—	—	55.1	445
2007	27	—	—	—	—	0.7	36.4	275
2008	28	—	—	—	—	—	9.6	153
2009	29	—	—	—	—	—	33.1	500
2010	30	—	—	—	—	-1.3	16.3	903
2011	31	—	—	—	—	—	5.7	491
2012	32	—	—	—	—	—	-3.3	541
2013	33	—	—	0*	—	—	5.9	305
2014	34	—	—	0*	—	—	2.0	134
2015	35	—	—	14*	—	—	43.3	985
2017	37	—	—	10*	—	—	12.2	416
2018	38	—	—	0*	—	—	20.6	470
2019	39	—	—	7*	—	—	10.2	214
Career				31*	—	—	—	5,832

* 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	38	NO	16	0*	10.2	8.9	2.5	1	3	0.1	21	107.2
2019	39	NE	10	7*	8.9	5.3	4.9	2	2	0.1	9	91.1
Career			26	7*	—	—	—	3	5	—	30	—

* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 71 · Great

A great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 71 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 14 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 68.6 × longevity 1 = KV-H 71· confidence 100%

What builds the career mark of 63

On-field 45.7

Availability 17.3

On-field production Staying available

Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)

2005bestavg 62elite 702019

All-Time Standing

how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position

Depth

of 100

Reached 35% of the all-time Receptions leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.

35% of the all-time Receptions leader35

2 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader67

19.44 EPA/season over 15 seasons56

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+

Solid

SIS

Yards / snap:0.612 ydsSee leaderboard →

Yards/snap0.612Touch rate0.086EPA/snap0.025Snap share60%Off snaps3,726ReliableCV 0.40

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 basis

Amber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).

Combine · 2004

Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.

TE · 2004 class

4.50s

40-Yard

Elite · 95th pct

Pos 95thAll 77thClass Pos 97thClass All 82th

35.5"

Vertical

Above avg · 74th pct

Pos 74thAll 69thClass Pos 96thClass All 68th

123"

Broad Jump

Strong · 88th pct

Pos 88thAll 78thClass Pos 96thClass All 84th

34 reps

Bench

Elite · 99th pct

Pos 99thAll 97thClass Pos 96thClass All 95th

7.38s

3-Cone

Low · 15th pct

Pos 15thAll 32thClass Pos 29thClass All 40th

4.11s

Shuttle

Elite · 93th pct

Pos 93thAll 87thClass Pos 71thClass All 69th

Playoff vs Regular Season

📊 Consistent

Yards / Reception: 11.1 regular season → 10.9 playoffs (7 playoff seasons)

-2%

vs reg season

Postseason Career

11 playoff games

Receiving

Tgt30Rec25Yds272TD3Ctch%83.3%Y/R10.9Y/Tgt9.11D14

Defense

Tkl1Solo1FF1

Advanced (EPA)

Rec EPA17.0Rec AirYd178

College Stats

Georgia; DukeCollege listed; stat table pending import

College stats are not imported for this profile yet.

StatVault has the verified college attribution (Georgia; Duke), 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.

2004 Draft Class· this player went #32

#24Steven JacksonRB #25Ahmad CarrollDB #26Chris PerryRB #27Jason BabinDE #28Chris GambleCB #29Michael JenkinsWR #30Kevin JonesRB #31Rashaun WoodsWR #33Karlos DansbyILB #34Chris SneeG #35Igor OlshanskyDT #36Junior SiaviiDT #37Teddy LehmanLB #38Ricardo ColcloughDB #39Daryl SmithOLB #40Ben TroupeTE

Franchise Succession

the room, before and after

Benjamin inherited the New England Patriots TE room from Daniel Graham (2002–2006), and handed it to Aaron Hernandez (2010–2012).

Lin Dawson 1981–1989Eric Sievers 1989–1990Marv Cook 1989–1993Ben Coates 1991–1999John Burke 1994–1996Lovett Purnell

Similar Players

Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).

Movementderived from season history

2019team change
Joined NE (from NO)
2019final season
Last recorded season with NE
2018team change
Joined NO (from BAL)
2017team change
Joined BAL (from NO)
2013team change
Joined NO (from CLE)
2010team change
Joined CLE (from NE)
2004draft
Drafted by NE — Round 1, Pick 32

Athletic & Unique Profile

verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts

6'3" / 255 lb

Frame

258 lb at 4.50s

Size-speed

35.5" vert / 123" broad

Explosion

34 reps

Bench power

Injury History

2 career games missed (Out)

From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.

Season	Team	Games Out	Designations
2018	NO	0	W20Questionable· Illness
2017	BAL	0	W4Questionable· CalfW5Questionable· CalfW7Questionable· KneeW8Questionable· Knee
2015	NO	0	W16Questionable· Knee
2014	NO	0	W4Questionable· Groin
2013	NO	1	W11Out· ConcussionW12Questionable· Concussion
2012	CLE	0	W1Questionable· ThighW2Questionable· Thigh
2011	CLE	1	W8Questionable· HeadW15Out· Head
2010	CLE	0	W12Questionable· Ankle
2009	NE	0	W6Questionable· HeadW9Questionable· BackW15Questionable· Knee

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 14-season peers. See all →

peak 77

Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season

B2005

B+2006

B2007

C+2008

B2009

B+2010

B2011

B2012

C+2013

C2014

B+2015

B2017

B2018

C2019

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
2005	441	31.5	581+140	34.2
2006	657	50.5	926+269	54.5
2007	389	32.4	562+173	33
2008	209	20.9	350+141	20.6
2009	404	33.7	554+150	32.6
2010	763	47.7	771+8	45.4
2011	410	31.5	505+95	29.7
2012	501	31.3	502+1	29.5
2013	226	16.1	263+37	15.5
2014	136	9.7	161+25	9.5
2015	825	51.6	859+34	50.5
2017	522	32.6	570+48	33.5
2018	400	30.8	547+147	32.2
2019	173	19.2	342+169	20.1

Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026

Career Value · VORP

224 career value over replacement — #297 all-time of 4,642. 16/season above a replacement-level TE.

Career Profile

Compiler37% in top 3 yrs

Draft OutcomeValue ↑

Pick #32 (Rd 1) · NE · 2004 · +16.1 vs expected KV-H

71actual

54.9 expected · Δ+16.1

💔+29.1 stolen VORP·1.82 szns lost

Fan Rating

Rate Benjamin Watson — All-Time

Tap a star to rate

Explore More

Similar Players

Marcus Pollard

91% match

Austin Hooper

90% match

Ozzie Newsome

90% match

Visanthe Shiancoe

90% match

Dallas Clark

89% match

Compare Benjamin Watson vs Player Report data error

Benjamin Watson

All-Time Rank & Honors

Archetype Intelligence

Career Value · VORP

Combined Season Grid

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Snap Counts

Advanced (EPA)

Advanced Receiving (2018+)

KV-H Anatomy

All-Time Standing

Per-Snap Impact

Career Aging Trajectory

Combine · 2004

Postseason Career

Receiving

Defense

Advanced (EPA)

College Stats

Reference Graph

Top Teammates

2004 Draft Class· this player went #32

Franchise Succession

Similar Players

Movementderived from season history

Athletic & Unique Profile

Injury History

Knox

Era Translator

Career Geography