Dat Nguyen ranks in the all-time elite tier for linebackers β a career that places Nguyen in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Nguyen a career score of 67, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Dat Nguyen
Height5'11"
Weight238 lb
BornSep 25, 1975
Age50
CollegeTexas A&MSee College Stats
Rookie yr1999
Draft1999 Β· Rd 3, Pick 85 Β· DAL
A top 10% all-time linebacker who consistently made an impact across multiple seasons.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 96 Β· #1185 Β· High-ValueWorth 96 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker β top 27% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+16
Avg surplus
peak +28
6 seasons Γ ~16 surplus β VORP 96
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 | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1999 | β | DAL | 12 | β | 25 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | β | DAL | 10 | β | 41 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | DAL | 16 | β | 108 | 86 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | DAL | 8 | β | 47 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | DAL | 16 | β | 109 | 78 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | DAL | 17 | β | 99 | 67 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | DAL | 7 | β | 25 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 86 | β | 454 | 344 | 110 | 23 | 2 | 6.0 | 31.0 | 7 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 24 | DAL | 12 | β | 25 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 6.1 |
| 2000 | 25 | DAL | 10 | β | 41 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 6.3 |
| 2001 | 26 | DAL | 16 | β | 108 | 86 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 7.8 |
| 2002 | 27 | DAL | 8 | β | 47 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 4.6 |
| 2003 | 28 | DAL | 16 | β | 109 | 78 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| 2004 | 29 | DAL | 17 | β | 99 | 67 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.4 |
| 2005 | 30 | DAL | 7 | β | 25 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 |
| Career | 86 | 454 | 344 | 110 | 23 | 2 | β | β | 7 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50.9 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 67 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 67 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
63
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
73
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 67 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 67Β· confidence 98%
What builds the career mark of 63
On-field 46.5
Availability 16.5
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
1999bestavg 60elite 702005
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position3
Depth
of 100
Reached 3% of the all-time Interceptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
3% of the all-time Interceptions 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 linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
2 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl8Solo6Ast2PD2
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Texas A&M), 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
Greg EllisDE7yDexter CoakleyLB6yDarren WoodsonS5yEbenezer EkubanDE5yEmmitt SmithRB4yJoey GallowayWR4yLa'Roi GloverDT4yBilly CundiffK4yMichael MyersDT4yPeppi ZellnerDE4yBrandon NobleDT4yMario EdwardsCB4yTroy HambrickRB4yRobert ThomasFB4yDuane HawthorneCB4yTony DixonDB4yLynn ScottDB4yJason WittenTE3yJason WhittleG3yTerence NewmanCB3yTerry GlennWR3yBradie JamesILB3yGeorge TeagueFS3yRaghib IsmailWR3y
1999 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #85
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterDat inherited the Dallas Cowboys LB room from Dexter Coakley (1997β2004), and handed it to Alshermond Singleton (2003β2006).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2005final season
Last recorded season with DAL
- 1999draft
Drafted by DAL β Round 3, Pick 85
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'11" / 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 7-season peers. See all β
67
peak 73
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C1999
C+2000
B+2001
C+2002
B+2003
B2004
D2005
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 7 seasons.
76%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 25 | 2.1 | 32+7 | 1.9 |
| 2000 | 41 | 4.1 | 63+22 | 3.7 |
| 2001 | 108 | 6.8 | 111+3 | 6.5 |
| 2002 | 47 | 5.9 | 96+49 | 5.6 |
| 2003 | 109 | 6.8 | 117+8 | 6.9 |
| 2004 | 99 | 5.8 | 94-5 | 5.5 |
| 2005 | 25 | 3.6 | 43+18 | 2.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
96 career value over replacement β #1185 all-time of 4,642. 13.7/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #85 (Rd 3) Β· DAL Β· 1999 Β· +28.3 vs expected KV-H
67actual
38.7 expected Β· Ξ+28.3
Fan Rating
Rate Dat Nguyen β All-Time
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