Dan Connor is a career quality starter β a linebacker whose body of work places Connor in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Connor's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Dan Connor
Top 38% all-time linebackersHigh-End Starter
Height6'2"
Weight241 lb
BornNov 2, 1985
Age40
CollegePenn StateSee College Stats
Rookie yr2008
Draft2008 Β· Rd 3, Pick 74 Β· CAR
A quality linebacker with a above-average career β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 24 Β· #2911 Β· Role PlayerWorth 24 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker β top 64% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 3 of 4 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +8 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
3 cleared
1 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
3
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+8
Avg surplus
peak +14
3 seasons Γ ~8 surplus β VORP 24
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 | Defense | Snap Counts | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2009 | β | CAR | 5 | β | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2010 | β | CAR | 7 | β | 40 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2011 | β | CAR | 15 | β | 68 | 47 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2012 | β | DAL | 11 | β | 47 | 23 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2013 | β | NYG | 1 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2013 | β | CAR | 6 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 0.0% | 23 | 15.0% | 75 | 45.5% |
| Career | β | 45 | β | 165 | 100 | 65 | 14 | 3 | 1.0 | 18.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 23 | 15.0% | 75 | 45.5% | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 24 | CAR | 5 | β | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 25 | CAR | 7 | β | 40 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 4.4 |
| 2011 | 26 | CAR | 15 | β | 68 | 47 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2012 | 27 | DAL | 11 | β | 47 | 23 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 4.4 |
| 2013 | 28 | NYG | 1 | 0* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| Career | 39 | 165 | 100 | 65 | 14 | 3 | β | β | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.3 |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 49 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 49 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 4 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
52
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
55
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ0.93
Longevity
career length
Blend 53.2 Γ longevity 0.93 = KV-H 49Β· confidence 88%
What builds the career mark of 52
On-field 38.6
Availability 13.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
2009bestavg 472012
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position1
Depth
of 100
Reached 1% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
1% of the all-time Sacks leader1
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: 90%.
Per-Snap Impact
Linebackers Β· proprietary Β· 2012+β
below snap floor
Disruption/1000Snap share15%Def snaps23Emerging
Production per snap β the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within linebackers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2008
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.67s
40-Yard
Above avg Β· 53th pct
Pos 53thAll 48thClass Pos 61thClass All 49th
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Penn State), 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
Captain MunnerlynDB4yDeAngelo WilliamsRB4yJonathan StewartRB4yCharles GodfreyFS4yJordan SennLB4yThomas DavisOLB3yJason BakerP3yBrandon LaFellWR3yChris GambleCB3yJames AndersonOLB3yJon BeasonMLB3yGreg HardyDE3ySherrod MartinDB3yMike GoodsonRB3yJason WilliamsLB3yArmanti EdwardsWR3yJohn KasayK2yGreg OlsenTE2yCam NewtonQB2yRichard MarshallCB2yTyler BraytonDT2yJeff KingTE2yDante RosarioTE2yGary BarnidgeTE2y
2008 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #74
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterDan inherited the Carolina Panthers LB room from Jon Beason (2007β2012), and handed it to Luke Kuechly (2012β2019).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2013team change
Joined CAR (from DAL)
- 2013final season
Last recorded season with CAR
- 2012team change
Joined DAL (from CAR)
- 2008draft
Drafted by CAR β Round 3, Pick 74
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 241 lb
Frame
231 lb at 4.67s
Size-speed
Injury History
1 career game missed (Out)From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | DAL | 1 | W9OutΒ· NeckW10DoubtfulΒ· Neck |
| 2011 | CAR | 0 | W11QuestionableΒ· Shoulder |
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
49
peak 55
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
F2009
C+2010
B2011
C+2012
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 5 seasons.
67%
Era Translator
Tackles 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 Tackles | Tackles/G | β 2025 Tackles | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 | 1.6 | 10+2 | 0.6 |
| 2010 | 40 | 5.7 | 90+50 | 5.3 |
| 2011 | 68 | 4.5 | 67-1 | 4 |
| 2012 | 47 | 4.3 | 60+13 | 3.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), espn.com:stats-api (facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
24 career value over replacement β #2911 all-time of 4,642. 6/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #74 (Rd 3) Β· CAR Β· 2008 Β· +9 vs expected KV-H
49actual
40 expected Β· Ξ+9
Fan Rating
Rate Dan Connor β All-Time
Tap a star to rate
Explore More
Similar Players