Dwight Smith is a career quality starter β a defensive back whose body of work places Smith in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Smith's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Dwight Smith
Height5'10"
Weight201 lb
BornAug 13, 1978
Age47
CollegeAkronSee College Stats
Rookie yr2001
Draft2001 Β· Rd 3, Pick 84 Β· TB
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextPostseason all-time ranks
A high-end defensive back defined as much by excellent availability over their career as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 128 Β· #793 Β· High-ValueWorth 128 points of value above a freely-available replacement safety β top 18% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +21.3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+21.3
Avg surplus
peak +27
6 seasons Γ ~21.3 surplus β VORP 128
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 | |||||
| 2001 | β | TB | 5 | β | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | TB | 14 | β | 24 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | TB | 16 | β | 59 | 47 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | TB | 16 | β | 73 | 62 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 13 | 3 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | NO | 15 | β | 59 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | MIN | 15 | β | 68 | 52 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | β | MIN | 14 | β | 46 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4 | 9 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | β | DET | 9 | β | 36 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 104 | β | 370 | 303 | 67 | 3 | 2 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 22 | 58 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 23 | TB | 5 | β | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 24 | TB | 14 | β | 24 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 8.3 |
| 2003 | 25 | TB | 16 | β | 59 | 47 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 10 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 10.5 |
| 2004 | 26 | TB | 16 | β | 73 | 62 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 13 | 3 | β | 0 | 0 | 11.3 |
| 2005 | 27 | NO | 15 | β | 59 | 49 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 | 8.9 |
| 2006 | 28 | MIN | 15 | β | 68 | 52 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 |
| 2007 | 29 | MIN | 14 | β | 46 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4 | 9 | 1 | β | 1 | 0 | 9.7 |
| 2008 | 30 | DET | 9 | β | 36 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 |
| Career | 104 | 370 | 303 | 67 | 3 | 2 | β | β | 22 | 58 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 62.7 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against int/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
64
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
74
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 95%
What builds the career mark of 64
On-field 46.7
Availability 17.3
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative int/g)
2001bestavg 60elite 702008
Team Carrier Evidence
Ranked #588 of 600 by seasons where high individual production happened on low-win teams. Score aggregates only tracked StatVault categories.
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position9
Depth
of 100
Reached 10% of the all-time Interceptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
10% of the all-time Interceptions leader10
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 defensive backs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2001
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.51s
40-Yard
Below avg Β· 43th pct
Pos 43thAll 75thClass Pos 60thClass All 77th
33.5"
Vertical
Low Β· 17th pct
Pos 17thAll 49thClass Pos 6thClass All 39th
114"
Broad Jump
Low Β· 6th pct
Pos 6thAll 38thClass Pos 11thClass All 48th
15 reps
Bench
Below avg Β· 45th pct
Pos 45thAll 17thClass Pos 55thClass All 20th
Postseason Career
3 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl11Solo11Int3PD4TD2
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Akron), 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
Brad JohnsonQB5yBrian KellyCB5yChartric DarbyDT5yRonde BarberFS4yDerrick BrooksOLB4ySimeon RiceDE4yMike AlstottFB4yShelton QuarlesMLB4yAaron SteckerRB4yMartin GramaticaK4yEllis WymsDT4yCorey IvyDB4yRyan NeceOLB4yJameel CookRB4yJohn HowellDB4yJohn LynchFS3yKeyshawn JohnsonWR3yWarren SappDT3yKen DilgerTE3yGreg SpiresDE3yJoe JureviciusWR3yDexter JacksonS3yRickey DudleyTE3yNate WebsterMLB3y
2001 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #84
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterDwight inherited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB room from Brian Kelly (1999β2007), and handed it to Jermaine Phillips (2002β2009).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2008team change
Joined DET (from MIN)
- 2008final season
Last recorded season with DET
- 2006team change
Joined MIN (from NO)
- 2005team change
Joined NO (from TB)
- 2001draft
Drafted by TB β Round 3, Pick 84
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'10" / 201 lb
Frame
212 lb at 4.51s
Size-speed
33.5" vert / 114" broad
Explosion
15 reps
Bench power
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 8-season peers. See all β
68
peak 74
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
F2001
B+2002
B+2003
B2004
C+2005
B+2006
B+2007
D2008
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
88%
Era Translator
INT 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 INT | INT/G | β 2025 INT | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 4 | 0.3 | 3-1 | 0.2 |
| 2003 | 5 | 0.3 | 3-2 | 0.2 |
| 2004 | 3 | 0.2 | 2-1 | 0.1 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0.1 | 1-1 | 0.1 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0.3 | 3-1 | 0.2 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0.3 | 3-1 | 0.2 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
128 career value over replacement β #793 all-time of 4,642. 16/season above a replacement-level S.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #84 (Rd 3) Β· TB Β· 2001 Β· +29.3 vs expected KV-H
68actual
38.7 expected Β· Ξ+29.3
Fan Rating
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