Cliff Benson
Top 43% all-time TEsSolid Contributor
Height6'4"
Weight238 lb
BornAug 28, 1961
Age64
CollegePurdueSee College Stats
Rookie yr1984
Draft1984 Β· Rd 5, Pick 132 Β· ATL
A tight end with a middle-tier career β a rotational or backup contributor who filled their role reliably.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 23 Β· #2960 Β· Role PlayerWorth 23 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 65% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 2 of 4 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +11.5 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
2 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
2
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+11.5
Avg surplus
peak +17
2 seasons Γ ~11.5 surplus β VORP 23
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | Rushing | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||
| 1984 | β | ATL | 16 | β | β | 26 | 244 | 0 | β | 9.4 | β | β | β | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | ATL | 16 | β | β | 10 | 37 | 0 | β | 3.7 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 2 | 2 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | NO | 8 | β | β | 2 | 11 | 0 | β | 5.5 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | NO | 7 | β | β | 1 | 5 | 0 | β | 5.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 47 | β | 0 | 39 | 297 | 0 | β | 7.6 | β | β | β | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | |
Rushing
Receiving
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 48 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 48 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 4 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
52
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
52
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ0.93
Longevity
career length
Blend 52 Γ longevity 0.93 = KV-H 48Β· confidence 97%
What builds the career mark of 52
On-field 35.3
Availability 16.7
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1984bestavg 481988
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position3
Depth
of 100
Reached 3% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
3% of the all-time Receptions leader3
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 (Purdue), 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
Rickey JacksonLB2yBrian HansenP2yDave WaymerDB2yHoby BrennerTE2ySam MillsLB2yEric MartinWR2yToi CookDB2yJohn TiceTE2yGerald RiggsRB2yDalton HilliardRB2yStacey BaileyWR2yRueben MayesRB2yRobert ClarkWR2yCliff AustinRB2yLonzell HillWR2yRalph GiacomarroP2yAllama MatthewsTE2yMark PattisonWR2yTommy BarnhardtP1yBrett PerrimanWR1yCraig HeywardRB1yKen WhisenhuntTE1yBarry WordRB1yCharlie BrownWR1y
1984 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #132
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterCliff inherited the Atlanta Falcons TE room from Junior Miller (1980β1983), and handed it to Ken Whisenhunt (1985β1988).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1988final season
Last recorded season with NO
- 1987team change
Joined NO (from ATL)
- 1984draft
Drafted by ATL β Round 5, Pick 132
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'4" / 238 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 4-season peers. See all β
48
peak 52
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1984
C+1985
C1987
D1988
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 4 seasons.
75%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 244 | 15.3 | 489+245 | 28.8 |
| 1985 | 37 | 2.3 | 219+182 | 12.9 |
| 1987 | 11 | 1.4 | 210+199 | 12.3 |
| 1988 | 5 | 0.7 | 200+195 | 11.8 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
23 career value over replacement β #2960 all-time of 4,642. 5.8/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #132 (Rd 5) Β· ATL Β· 1984 Β· +14.5 vs expected KV-H
48actual
33.5 expected Β· Ξ+14.5
Fan Rating
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