Ellis Johnson is a career quality starter — a pass rusher whose body of work places Johnson in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Johnson's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Season totals or exact team stints. Career totals count each season once.
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1995 | 21–22 | IND | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.5 | 4.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | 22–23 | IND | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | 23–24 | IND | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.5 | 4.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998 | 24–25 | IND | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8.0 | 8.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999 | 25–26 | IND | 16 | — | 35 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 26–27 | IND | 13 | — | 27 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 27–28 | IND | 15 | — | 26 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 10.5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 28–29 | ATL | 13 | — | 22 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7.0 | 21.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 29–30 | ATL | 16 | — | 38 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 30–31 | DEN | 12 | — | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 144 | — | 162 | 114 | 48 | 28 | 21 | 51.0 | 100.0 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
Career Value · VORP
150 career value over replacement — #651 all-time of 4,695. 15/season above a replacement-level EDGE.
Pick #15 (Rd 1) · IND · 1995 · +12.8 vs expected KV-H
Fan Rating
Rate Ellis Johnson — All-Time
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A high-end edge rusher 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.
Worth 150 points of value above a freely-available replacement edge rusher — top 15% of all 4,695 ranked at the position. 9 of 10 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16.7 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
9 seasons × ~16.7 surplus ≈ VORP 150
Tyoka Jackson
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85% match