Craig Heyward ranks in the all-time elite tier for running backs β a career that places Heyward in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Heyward a career score of 69, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Craig Heyward
Height5'11"
Weight265 lb
BornSep 26, 1966
Age59
CollegePittsburghSee College Stats
Rookie yr1988
Draft1988 Β· Rd 1, Pick 24 Β· NOR
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
A top 10% all-time running back who consistently made an impact across multiple seasons.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 142 Β· #686 Β· High-ValueWorth 142 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 16% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 10 of 11 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +14.2 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
10 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
10
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+14.2
Avg surplus
peak +33
10 seasons Γ ~14.2 surplus β VORP 142
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
2 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1988 | β | NO | 11 | β | 74 | 355 | 1 | 4.8 | 1.4 | β | β | β | β | 13 | 105 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | NO | 16 | β | 49 | 183 | 1 | 3.7 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | 13 | 69 | 0 | β | 5.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | NO | 16 | β | 129 | 599 | 4 | 4.6 | 3.1 | β | β | β | β | 18 | 121 | 0 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | NO | 7 | β | 76 | 260 | 4 | 3.4 | 5.3 | β | β | β | β | 4 | 34 | 1 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | NO | 16 | β | 104 | 416 | 3 | 4.0 | 2.9 | β | β | β | β | 19 | 159 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | CHI | 16 | β | 68 | 206 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 16 | 132 | 0 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | ATL | 16 | β | 183 | 779 | 7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | β | β | β | β | 32 | 335 | 1 | β | 10.5 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | ATL | 16 | β | 236 | 1,083 | 6 | 4.6 | 2.5 | β | β | β | β | 37 | 350 | 2 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | ATL | 15 | β | 72 | 321 | 3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | β | β | β | β | 16 | 168 | 0 | β | 10.5 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | β | STL | 16 | β | 34 | 84 | 1 | 2.5 | 2.9 | β | β | β | β | 8 | 77 | 0 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β |
| 1998 | β | IND | 4 | β | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 1 | 9 | 0 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 149 | β | 1,031 | 4,301 | 30 | 4.2 | 2.9 | β | β | β | 0 | 177 | 1,559 | 4 | β | 8.8 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 22 | NO | 11 | β | 74 | 355 | 1 | 4.8 | 1.4 | β | β | β | 6.6 |
| 1989 | 23 | NO | 16 | β | 49 | 183 | 1 | 3.7 | 2.0 | β | β | β | 8.4 |
| 1990 | 24 | NO | 16 | β | 129 | 599 | 4 | 4.6 | 3.1 | β | β | β | 12.5 |
| 1991 | 25 | NO | 7 | β | 76 | 260 | 4 | 3.4 | 5.3 | β | β | β | 7.6 |
| 1992 | 26 | NO | 16 | β | 104 | 416 | 3 | 4.0 | 2.9 | β | β | β | 11.2 |
| 1993 | 27 | CHI | 16 | β | 68 | 206 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 7.4 |
| 1994 | 28 | ATL | 16 | β | 183 | 779 | 7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | β | β | β | 17.3 |
| 1995 | 29 | ATL | 16 | β | 236 | 1,083 | 6 | 4.6 | 2.5 | β | β | β | 17.9 |
| 1996 | 30 | ATL | 15 | β | 72 | 321 | 3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | β | β | β | 9.7 |
| 1997 | 31 | STL | 16 | β | 34 | 84 | 1 | 2.5 | 2.9 | β | β | β | 8.1 |
| 1998 | 32 | IND | 4 | β | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 1.8 |
| Career | 149 | 1,031 | 4,301 | 30 | 4.2 | β | β | β | β | 108.5 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 22 | NO | 11 | β | β | 13 | 105 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 23 | NO | 16 | β | β | 13 | 69 | 0 | β | 5.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 24 | NO | 16 | β | β | 18 | 121 | 0 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 25 | NO | 7 | β | β | 4 | 34 | 1 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 26 | NO | 16 | β | β | 19 | 159 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 27 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 16 | 132 | 0 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 28 | ATL | 16 | β | β | 32 | 335 | 1 | β | 10.5 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 29 | ATL | 16 | β | β | 37 | 350 | 2 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 30 | ATL | 15 | β | β | 16 | 168 | 0 | β | 10.5 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | 31 | STL | 16 | β | β | 8 | 77 | 0 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β |
| 1998 | 32 | IND | 4 | β | β | 1 | 9 | 0 | β | 9.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 149 | 0 | 177 | 1,559 | 4 | β | 8.8 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 69 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 69 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 11 scored seasons.
64
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
76
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 69Β· confidence 94%
What builds the career mark of 64
On-field 45.6
Availability 18.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1988bestavg 60elite 701998
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position21
Depth
of 100
Reached 23% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
23% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader23
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: 88%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
From Scrimmage Β· Career
Scrimmage Yds
5,860
4,301 rush Β· 1,559 recv
Total TDs
34
30 rush Β· 4 recv
Total Touches
1,208
1,031 carries Β· 177 rec
Yds / Touch
4.9
rushing + receiving
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Pittsburgh), 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 JacksonLB5yHoby BrennerTE5ySam MillsLB5yEric MartinWR5yToi CookDB5yDalton HilliardRB5yTommy BarnhardtP4yWayne MartinDT4yJohn TiceTE4yFloyd TurnerWR4yGreg ScalesTE4yJessie TuggleMLB3yTerance MathisWR3yBrett PerrimanWR3yBennie ThompsonDB3yLester ArchambeauDE3yJeff GeorgeQB3yDarnell WalkerDB3yChuck SmithDE3yBert EmanuelWR3yRon GeorgeLB3yJamal AndersonRB3yTorrance SmallWR3yMitch LyonsTE3y
1988 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #24
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterCraig inherited the New Orleans Saints RB room from Dalton Hilliard (1986β1993), and handed it to Gill Fenerty (1990β1991).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1998team change
Joined IND (from STL)
- 1998final season
Last recorded season with IND
- 1997team change
Joined STL (from ATL)
- 1994team change
Joined ATL (from CHI)
- 1993team change
Joined CHI (from NO)
- 1988draft
Drafted by NOR β Round 1, Pick 24
- 1988team change
Joined NO (from NOR)
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'11" / 265 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 11-season peers. See all β
69
peak 76
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1988
C+1989
B+1990
C+1991
B1992
C+1993
B+1994
A1995
B1996
C+1997
F1998
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 11 seasons.
Era Translator
Rush 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 Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 355 | 32.3 | 858+503 | 50.5 |
| 1989 | 183 | 11.4 | 382+199 | 22.5 |
| 1990 | 599 | 37.4 | 1,018+419 | 59.9 |
| 1991 | 260 | 37.1 | 1,000+740 | 58.8 |
| 1992 | 416 | 26 | 743+327 | 43.7 |
| 1993 | 206 | 12.9 | 482+276 | 28.4 |
| 1994 | 779 | 48.7 | 1,196+417 | 70.3 |
| 1995 | 1,083 | 67.7 | 1,563+480 | 91.9 |
| 1996 | 321 | 21.4 | 703+382 | 41.4 |
| 1997 | 84 | 5.3 | 370+286 | 21.8 |
| 1998 | 15 | 3.8 | 327+312 | 19.2 |
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
142 career value over replacement β #686 all-time of 4,642. 12.9/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #24 (Rd 1) Β· NOR Β· 1988 Β· +12.5 vs expected KV-H
69actual
56.5 expected Β· Ξ+12.5
Fan Rating
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