Herman Heard is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Heard in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Heard's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Herman Heard
Top 15% all-time RBsIron Man
A high-end running back defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 84 Β· #1374 Β· High-ValueWorth 84 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 31% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +14 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+14
Avg surplus
peak +20
6 seasons Γ ~14 surplus β VORP 84
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
2 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1984 | β | KAN | 16 | β | 165 | 684 | 4 | 4.1 | 2.4 | β | β | β | β | 25 | 223 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | KAN | 16 | β | 164 | 595 | 4 | 3.6 | 2.4 | β | β | β | β | 31 | 257 | 2 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | KAN | 15 | β | 71 | 295 | 2 | 4.2 | 2.8 | β | β | β | β | 17 | 83 | 0 | β | 4.9 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | KAN | 12 | β | 82 | 466 | 3 | 5.7 | 3.7 | β | β | β | β | 14 | 118 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | KAN | 12 | β | 106 | 438 | 0 | 4.1 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 20 | 198 | 0 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | KAN | 16 | β | 63 | 216 | 0 | 3.4 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 25 | 246 | 1 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 87 | β | 1,302 | 5,388 | 26 | 4.1 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | 264 | 2,250 | 6 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 23 | KAN | 16 | β | 165 | 684 | 4 | 4.1 | 2.4 | β | β | β | 12.8 |
| 1985 | 24 | KAN | 16 | β | 164 | 595 | 4 | 3.6 | 2.4 | β | β | β | 12.7 |
| 1986 | 25 | KAN | 15 | β | 71 | 295 | 2 | 4.2 | 2.8 | β | β | β | 8.7 |
| 1987 | 26 | KAN | 12 | β | 82 | 466 | 3 | 5.7 | 3.7 | β | β | β | 8.8 |
| 1988 | 27 | KAN | 12 | β | 106 | 438 | 0 | 4.1 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 7.3 |
| 1989 | 28 | KAN | 16 | β | 63 | 216 | 0 | 3.4 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 10 |
| Career | 87 | 1,302 | 5,388 | 26 | 4.1 | β | β | β | β | 60.3 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 23 | KAN | 16 | β | β | 25 | 223 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | 24 | KAN | 16 | β | β | 31 | 257 | 2 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | 25 | KAN | 15 | β | β | 17 | 83 | 0 | β | 4.9 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 26 | KAN | 12 | β | β | 14 | 118 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 27 | KAN | 12 | β | β | 20 | 198 | 0 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 28 | KAN | 16 | β | β | 25 | 246 | 1 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β |
| Career | 87 | β | 264 | 2,250 | 6 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 65 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 65 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
64
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
68
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 65.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 65Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 64
On-field 45.4
Availability 18.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1984bestavg 64elite 701989
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position29
Depth
of 100
Reached 29% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
29% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader29
1 category β₯25% of the all-time leader33
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: 92%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
From Scrimmage Β· Career
Scrimmage Yds
7,638
5,388 rush Β· 2,250 recv
Total TDs
32
26 rush Β· 6 recv
Total Touches
1,566
1,302 carries Β· 264 rec
Yds / Touch
4.9
rushing + receiving
Postseason Career
Rushing
Att2Yds2Y/A1.0
Receiving
Rec2Yds30Y/R15.0
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Colorado State (Pueblo); Fort Lewis College), 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
Carlos CarsonWR6yJonathan HayesTE5yTodd BlackledgeQB4yLarry MoriartyRB3yEmile HarryWR3yChristian OkoyeRB3yAnthony HancockWR3yNeil SmithDE2yJim ArnoldP2yJack Del RioMLB2yJames SaxonRB2yWillie ScottTE2yAlfredo RobertsTE2yPaul PalmerRB2yKenny GambleRB2yDerrick ThomasOLB1yRobb ThomasWR1yTodd McNairRB1yEthan HortonTE1yChris DresselTE1yTommie AgeeRB1yPete MandleyWR1yMike HolstonWR1ySteve PelluerQB1y
1984 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #61
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterHerman inherited the Kansas City Chiefs RB room from Billy Jackson (1981β1984), and handed it to Larry Moriarty (1986β1988).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1989final season
Last recorded season with KAN
- 1984draft
Drafted by KAN β Round 3, Pick 61
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'10" / 184 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 6-season peers. See all β
65
peak 68
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B+1984
B1985
C+1986
B1987
B1988
C+1989
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
92%
Era Translator
Rush 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 Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 684 | 42.8 | 952+268 | 56 |
| 1985 | 595 | 37.2 | 837+242 | 49.2 |
| 1986 | 295 | 19.7 | 504+209 | 29.6 |
| 1987 | 466 | 38.8 | 973+507 | 57.2 |
| 1988 | 438 | 36.5 | 956+518 | 56.2 |
| 1989 | 216 | 13.5 | 428+212 | 25.2 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
84 career value over replacement β #1374 all-time of 4,642. 14/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #61 (Rd 3) Β· KAN Β· 1984 Β· +18.1 vs expected KV-H
65actual
46.9 expected Β· Ξ+18.1
Fan Rating
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