Eric Martin ranks in the all-time elite tier for receivers β a career that places Martin in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Martin a career score of 71, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Eric Martin
Height6'1"
Weight207 lb
BornNov 8, 1961
Age64
CollegeLSUSee College Stats
Rookie yr1985
Draft1985 Β· Rd 7, Pick 179 Β· NOR
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
A high-end wide receiver defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 10% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 196 Β· #387 Β· EliteWorth 196 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 9% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 10 of 10 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +19.6 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
10 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
10
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+19.6
Avg surplus
peak +27
10 seasons Γ ~19.6 surplus β VORP 196
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 | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1985 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 35 | 522 | 4 | β | 14.9 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 37 | 675 | 5 | β | 18.2 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | NO | 15 | β | β | 44 | 778 | 7 | β | 17.7 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 85 | 1,083 | 7 | β | 12.7 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 68 | 1,090 | 8 | β | 16.0 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 63 | 912 | 5 | β | 14.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 66 | 803 | 4 | β | 12.2 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 68 | 1,041 | 5 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | NO | 16 | β | β | 66 | 950 | 3 | β | 14.4 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | KC | 10 | β | β | 21 | 307 | 1 | β | 14.6 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 153 | β | 0 | 553 | 8,161 | 49 | β | 14.8 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 24 | NO | 16 | β | β | 35 | 522 | 4 | β | 14.9 | β | β | β | 12.6 |
| 1986 | 25 | NO | 16 | β | β | 37 | 675 | 5 | β | 18.2 | β | β | β | 12.3 |
| 1987 | 26 | NO | 15 | β | β | 44 | 778 | 7 | β | 17.7 | β | β | β | 11.8 |
| 1988 | 27 | NO | 16 | β | β | 85 | 1,083 | 7 | β | 12.7 | β | β | β | 17.3 |
| 1989 | 28 | NO | 16 | β | β | 68 | 1,090 | 8 | β | 16.0 | β | β | β | 17.8 |
| 1990 | 29 | NO | 16 | β | β | 63 | 912 | 5 | β | 14.5 | β | β | β | 14.3 |
| 1991 | 30 | NO | 16 | β | β | 66 | 803 | 4 | β | 12.2 | β | β | β | 13.3 |
| 1992 | 31 | NO | 16 | β | β | 68 | 1,041 | 5 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β | 14.1 |
| 1993 | 32 | NO | 16 | β | β | 66 | 950 | 3 | β | 14.4 | β | β | β | 12 |
| 1994 | 33 | KC | 10 | β | β | 21 | 307 | 1 | β | 14.6 | β | β | β | 4.4 |
| Career | 153 | 0 | 553 | 8,161 | 49 | β | 14.8 | β | β | β | 129.9 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 71 Β· GreatA great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 71 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 10 scored seasons.
68
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
74
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 70.4 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 71Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 68
On-field 48.6
Availability 19.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1985bestavg 68elite 701994
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position39
Depth
of 100
Reached 36% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
36% of the all-time Receptions leader36
2 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader67
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: 97%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average wide receivers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (LSU), 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
Rickey JacksonLB9yHoby BrennerTE9ySam MillsLB8yDalton HilliardRB8yToi CookDB7yJohn TiceTE7yTommy BarnhardtP6yDave WaymerDB5yWayne MartinDT5yCraig HeywardRB5yFloyd TurnerWR5yBrian HansenP4yRueben MayesRB4yLonzell HillWR4yGreg ScalesTE4yBrett PerrimanWR3yBennie ThompsonDB3yJoel SmeengeDE3yFred McAfeeRB3yQuinn EarlyWR3ySteve WalshQB3yPat NewmanWR3yMike BuckQB3yJack Del RioMLB2y
1985 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #179
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterEric inherited the New Orleans Saints WR room from Eugene Goodlow (1983β1986), and handed it to Lonzell Hill (1987β1990).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1994team change
Joined KC (from NO)
- 1994final season
Last recorded season with KC
- 1985draft
Drafted by NOR β Round 7, Pick 179
- 1985team change
Joined NO (from NOR)
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 207 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 10-season peers. See all β
71
peak 74
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1985
B1986
B1987
B+1988
B+1989
B+1990
B1991
B+1992
B+1993
C+1994
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 10 seasons.
96%
Era Translator
Rec Yds 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 Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | β 2025 Rec Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 522 | 32.6 | 585+63 | 34.4 |
| 1986 | 675 | 42.2 | 706+31 | 41.6 |
| 1987 | 778 | 51.9 | 849+71 | 50 |
| 1988 | 1,083 | 67.7 | 1,089+6 | 64 |
| 1989 | 1,090 | 68.1 | 1,103+13 | 64.9 |
| 1990 | 912 | 57 | 936+24 | 55.1 |
| 1991 | 803 | 50.2 | 814+11 | 47.9 |
| 1992 | 1,041 | 65.1 | 1,030-11 | 60.6 |
| 1993 | 950 | 59.4 | 930-20 | 54.7 |
| 1994 | 307 | 30.7 | 481+174 | 28.3 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
196 career value over replacement β #387 all-time of 4,642. 19.6/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #179 (Rd 7) Β· NOR Β· 1985 Β· +44.1 vs expected KV-H
71actual
26.9 expected Β· Ξ+44.1
Fan Rating
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