Dave Ball is a career quality starter β a pass rusher whose body of work places Ball in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Ball's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Dave Ball
Height6'5"
Weight255 lb
BornJan 4, 1981
Age45
CollegeUCLASee College Stats
Rookie yr2004
Draft2004 Β· Rd 5, Pick 133 Β· LAC
A quality edge rusher with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 56 Β· #1902 Β· Above AverageWorth 56 points of value above a freely-available replacement edge rusher β top 42% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 3 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +18.7 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
3 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
51
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
3
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+18.7
Avg surplus
peak +30
3 seasons Γ ~18.7 surplus β VORP 56
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 | |||||
| 2004 | β | LAC | 4 | β | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | NYJ | 4 | β | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | NYJ | 3 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | β | TEN | 13 | β | 21 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 4.5 | 20.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | β | TEN | 10 | β | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | β | TEN | 11 | β | 27 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 7.0 | 26.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | β | TEN | 13 | β | 36 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 4.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 58 | β | 107 | 65 | 42 | 18 | 42 | 15.5 | 75.5 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 23 | LAC | 4 | β | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1.6 |
| 2005 | 24 | NYJ | 4 | β | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1.7 |
| 2006 | 25 | NYJ | 3 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2008 | 27 | TEN | 13 | β | 21 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 4.5 | 20.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 | 12.3 |
| 2009 | 28 | TEN | 10 | β | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 4.6 |
| 2010 | 29 | TEN | 11 | β | 27 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 7.0 | 26.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 |
| 2011 | 30 | TEN | 13 | β | 36 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 4.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 |
| Career | 58 | 107 | 65 | 42 | 18 | 42 | β | β | 1 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44.4 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 62 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 62 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
56
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
70
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 61.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 62Β· confidence 83%
What builds the career mark of 56
On-field 43.1
Availability 12.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
2004bestavg 47elite 702011
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position7
Depth
of 100
Reached 8% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
8% of the all-time Sacks leader8
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 edge rushers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2004
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
5.07s
40-Yard
Low Β· 7th pct
Pos 7thAll 17thClass Pos 11thClass All 17th
24 reps
Bench
Above avg Β· 50th pct
Pos 50thAll 69thClass Pos 50thClass All 60th
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (UCLA), 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
Rob BironasK4yMichael GriffinFS4yChris JohnsonRB4yCortland FinneganDB4yChris HopeS4yWilliam HayesDE4yJason JonesDE4yAhmard HallFB4yCraig StevensTE4yLavelle HawkinsWR4yJared CookTE3yBrett KernP3yKerry CollinsQB3yJason McCourtyS3yNate WashingtonWR3yStephen TullochOLB3yKenny BrittWR3ySen'Derrick MarksDT3yJustin McCareinsWR3yJustin GageWR3yBo ScaifeTE3yTony BrownDT3yVince YoungQB3yVincent FullerDB3y
2004 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #133
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterDave inherited the Tennessee Titans DL room from Jacob Ford (2008β2010), and handed it to Jason Jones (2008β2011).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2011final season
Last recorded season with TEN
- 2008team change
Joined TEN (from NYJ)
- 2005team change
Joined NYJ (from LAC)
- 2004draft
Drafted by LAC β Round 5, Pick 133
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'5" / 255 lb
Frame
277 lb at 5.07s
Size-speed
24 reps
Bench power
Injury History
3 career games missed (Out)From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | TEN | 2 | W10OutΒ· ConcussionW11OutΒ· Concussion |
| 2010 | TEN | 1 | W12DoubtfulΒ· ConcussionW13QuestionableΒ· ConcussionW14QuestionableΒ· Hip / ConcussionW15OutΒ· Concussion / Hip |
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 6-season peers. See all β
62
peak 70
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
F2004
F2005
B2008
C2009
A2010
B2011
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 7 seasons.
73%
Era Translator
Sacks 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 Sacks | Sacks/G | β 2025 Sacks | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 6+1.5 | 0.4 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 7 | 0.6 | 11+4 | 0.7 |
| 2011 | 4 | 0.3 | 5+1 | 0.3 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
56 career value over replacement β #1902 all-time of 4,642. 9.3/season above a replacement-level EDGE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #133 (Rd 5) Β· LAC Β· 2004 Β· +28.5 vs expected KV-H
62actual
33.5 expected Β· Ξ+28.5
Fan Rating
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