Don Smith
Durable ContributorTwo-Way Profile
A running back who maximized value through excellent availability over their career. Their developmental was extended by consistently being on the field.
Career Value · VORP
VORP 4 · #3979 · Role PlayerWorth 4 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back — top 87% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 1 of 3 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +4 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
1 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
1
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+4
Avg surplus
peak +4
1 seasons × ~4 surplus ≈ VORP 4
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.
4 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | TD% | Int% | Y/A | AdjY/A | TD:INT | Rate | Sk | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1988 | — | TB | 10 | — | 13 | 46 | 1 | 3.5 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 138 | 0 | — | 11.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1989 | — | TB | 11 | — | 7 | 37 | 0 | 5.3 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 110 | 0 | — | 15.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 7 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | BUF | 16 | — | 20 | 82 | 2 | 4.1 | 10.0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 225 | 0 | — | 10.7 | — | — | — | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 39.6 | 0 | 13 | 13 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | — | 37 | — | 40 | 165 | 3 | 4.1 | 7.5 | — | — | — | 0 | 40 | 473 | 0 | — | 11.8 | — | — | — | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 39.6 | 0 | 25 | 23 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Defense
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 42 · SolidA solid career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 42 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 3 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
49
Sustained
career value
×.6
48
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×0.86
Longevity
career length
Blend 48.6 × longevity 0.86 = KV-H 42· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 49
On-field 33
Availability 16
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1988bestavg 481990
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 — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
3% of the all-time Receptions leader3
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
A 0–100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data — career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence — so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite ≥ 85 · Strong ≥ 65 · Solid ≥ 45 · Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 87%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College Passing
| Season | School | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | TD% | Int% | Y/A | AdjY/A | TD:INT | Rate | Sk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Mississippi State | 4 | 6 | 66.7% | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | — | 93.8 | — |
| 1984 | Mississippi State | 75 | 176 | 42.6% | 1,236 | 6 | 9 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 56.9 | — |
| 1985 | Mississippi State | 143 | 312 | 45.8% | 2,332 | 15 | 14 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 68.8 | — |
| 1986 | Mississippi State | 120 | 244 | 49.2% | 1,609 | 10 | 11 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 0.9 | 65.4 | — |
| Career | 342 | 738 | 46.3% | 5,229 | 31 | 34 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 0.9 | 65.0 | 0 |
College Rushing
| Season | School | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Mississippi State | 8 | 29 | 0 | 3.6 | 0.0 | — | — | — |
| 1984 | Mississippi State | 128 | 545 | 9 | 4.3 | 7.0 | — | — | — |
| 1985 | Mississippi State | 190 | 554 | 6 | 2.9 | 3.2 | — | — | — |
| 1986 | Mississippi State | 159 | 740 | 6 | 4.7 | 3.8 | — | — | — |
| Career | 485 | 1,868 | 21 | 3.9 | 4.3 | — | — | — |
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters — every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Vinny TestaverdeQB2yMark CarrierWR2yJames WilderRB2yRon HallTE2yBruce HillWR2yLars TateRB2yWilliam HowardRB2yBruce SmithDE1yJohn CarneyK1yPete MetzelaarsTE1yAndre ReedWR1yJames LoftonWR1yMarvcus PattonMLB1yCornelius BennettOLB1yThurman ThomasRB1yJim KellyQB1yMike LodishDT1yChris MohrP1yKenneth DavisRB1yWillie DrewreyWR1yButch RolleTE1yFrank ReichQB1yDon BeebeWR1yCarwell GardnerRB1y
1987 Draft Class· this player went #51
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1990team change
Joined BUF (from TB)
- 1990final season
Last recorded season with BUF
- 1988team change
Joined TB (from TAM)
- 1987draft
Drafted by TAM — Round 2, Pick 51
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'11" / 200 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works →
Historical Knox · KV-H
Era-normalized career quality — z-scored against 3-season peers. See all →
42
peak 48
Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season
C1988
C1989
C+1990
Availability
Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 3 seasons.
77%
19881990
1988 · cause not documented · 63%
Era Translator
Rush Yds translated to the 2025NFL — 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 | → 2025 Rush Yds | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 46 | 4.6 | 218+172 | 12.8 |
| 1989 | 37 | 3.4 | 200+163 | 11.7 |
| 1990 | 82 | 5.1 | 266+184 | 15.6 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:college-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026
Career Value · VORP
4 career value over replacement — #3979 all-time of 4,642. 1.3/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeMiss ↓
Pick #51 (Rd 2) · TAM · 1987 · -6.9 vs expected KV-H
42actual
48.9 expected · Δ−6.9
Fan Rating
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