Herschel Walker ranks in the all-time elite tier for running backs — a career that places Walker in the top 3% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Walker a career score of 81, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.

FBDAL#34ACT

Herschel Walker

2× Pro Bowl👑 Dynasty DNA · 6 seasons · 3 titles Top 3% all-time RBsIron Legend

Height6'1"

Weight225 lb

BornMar 3, 1962

Age64

CollegeGeorgia See College Stats

Rookie yr1986

Draft1985 · Rd 5, Pick 114 · DAL

All-Time Rank & Honors

career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context

Regular-season all-time ranks

47thRushing Yards·8,225 yds 58thRushing Touchdowns·61

Pro Bowls

Title Seasons

Dynasty Seasons

Archetype Intelligence

Iron LegendExplore archetypes →

An all-time caliber running back (top 5% all-time) who combined elite production with exceptional availability — almost never missed time. Iron Legends define eras — they show up, every game, for years on end.

Career Value · VORP

VORP 265 · #196 · Elite

Worth 265 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back — top 5% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 12 of 12 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +22.1 on average.See board →

Seasons above replacement

12 cleared

Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit

Replacement

the KC-H bar

→

Seasons over

cleared the bar

+22.1

Avg surplus

peak +49

12 seasons × ~22.1 surplus ≈ VORP 265

Combined Season Grid

The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.

2 grids split in one view

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Rushing								Receiving
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
1986	—	DAL	16	—	151	737	12	4.9	7.9	—	—	—	—	76	837	2	—	11.0	—	—	—
1987	—	DAL	12	—	209	891	7	4.3	3.3	—	—	—	—	60	715	1	—	11.9	—	—	—
1988	—	DAL	16	—	361	1,514	5	4.2	1.4	—	—	—	—	53	505	2	—	9.5	—	—	—
1989	—	DAL	11	—	81	246	2	3.0	2.5	—	—	—	—	22	261	1	—	11.9	—	—	—
1989	—	MIN	11	—	169	669	5	4.0	3.0	—	—	—	—	18	162	2	—	9.0	—	—	—
1990	—	MIN	16	—	184	770	5	4.2	2.7	—	—	—	—	35	315	4	—	9.0	—	—	—
1991	—	MIN	15	—	198	825	10	4.2	5.1	—	—	—	—	33	204	0	—	6.2	—	—	—
1992	—	PHI	16	—	267	1,070	8	4.0	3.0	—	—	—	—	38	278	2	—	7.3	—	—	—
1993	—	PHI	16	—	174	746	1	4.3	0.6	—	—	—	—	75	610	3	—	8.1	—	—	—
1994	—	PHI	16	—	113	528	5	4.7	4.4	—	—	—	—	50	500	2	—	10.0	—	—	—
1995	—	NYG	16	—	31	126	0	4.1	0.0	—	—	—	—	31	234	1	—	7.5	—	—	—
1996	—	DAL	16	—	10	83	1	8.3	10.0	—	—	—	—	7	89	0	—	12.7	—	—	—
1997	—	DAL	16	—	6	20	0	3.3	0.0	—	—	—	—	14	149	2	—	10.6	—	—	—
Career		—	193	—	1,954	8,225	61	4.2	3.1	—	—	—	0	512	4,859	22	—	9.5	—	—	—

Rushing

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	VAL
1986	24	DAL	16	—	151	737	12	4.9	7.9	—	—	—	22.8
1987	25	DAL	12	—	209	891	7	4.3	3.3	—	—	—	16.8
1988	26	DAL	16	—	361	1,514	5	4.2	1.4	—	—	—	20.6
1989	27	DAL	11	—	81	246	2	3.0	2.5	—	—	—	14.6
1989	27	MIN	11	—	169	669	5	4.0	3.0	—	—	—	14.6
1990	28	MIN	16	—	184	770	5	4.2	2.7	—	—	—	18.4
1991	29	MIN	15	—	198	825	10	4.2	5.1	—	—	—	16.8
1992	30	PHI	16	—	267	1,070	8	4.0	3.0	—	—	—	19.9
1993	31	PHI	16	—	174	746	1	4.3	0.6	—	—	—	16.7
1994	32	PHI	16	—	113	528	5	4.7	4.4	—	—	—	17.1
1995	33	NYG	16	—	31	126	0	4.1	0.0	—	—	—	10
1996	34	DAL	16	—	10	83	1	8.3	10.0	—	—	—	7.8
1997	35	DAL	16	—	6	20	0	3.3	0.0	—	—	—	10.2
Career			193		1,954	8,225	61	4.2	—	—	—	—	191.7

Receiving

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
1986	24	DAL	16	—	—	76	837	2	—	11.0	—	—	—
1987	25	DAL	12	—	—	60	715	1	—	11.9	—	—	—
1988	26	DAL	16	—	—	53	505	2	—	9.5	—	—	—
1989	27	DAL	11	—	—	22	261	1	—	11.9	—	—	—
1989	27	MIN	11	—	—	18	162	2	—	9.0	—	—	—
1990	28	MIN	16	—	—	35	315	4	—	9.0	—	—	—
1991	29	MIN	15	—	—	33	204	0	—	6.2	—	—	—
1992	30	PHI	16	—	—	38	278	2	—	7.3	—	—	—
1993	31	PHI	16	—	—	75	610	3	—	8.1	—	—	—
1994	32	PHI	16	—	—	50	500	2	—	10.0	—	—	—
1995	33	NYG	16	—	—	31	234	1	—	7.5	—	—	—
1996	34	DAL	16	—	—	7	89	0	—	12.7	—	—	—
1997	35	DAL	16	—	—	14	149	2	—	10.6	—	—	—
Career			193		0	512	4,859	22	—	9.5	—	—	—

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 81 · Great

A great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 81 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 12 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 79.2 × longevity 1 = KV-H 81· confidence 100%

What builds the career mark of 72

On-field 52.8

Availability 19.2

On-field production Staying available

Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)

1986bestavg 72elite 701997

All-Time Standing

how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position

Solid

of 100

Reached 45% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader — a solid all-time profile at the position.

45% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader45

3 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader100

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: 93%.

Career Aging Trajectory

vs. position group average · KV-H basis

Amber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).

From Scrimmage · Career

Scrimmage Yds

13,084

8,225 rush · 4,859 recv

Total TDs

61 rush · 22 recv

Total Touches

2,466

1,954 carries · 512 rec

Yds / Touch

5.3

rushing + receiving

College Stats

GeorgiaImported college table

College Rushing

Season	School	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb
1980	Georgia	274	1,616	15	5.9	5.5	—	—	—
1981	Georgia	385	1,891	18	4.9	4.7	—	—	—
1982	Georgia	335	1,752	16	5.2	4.8	—	—	—
Career		994	5,259	49	5.3	4.9	—	—	—

College Receiving

Season	School	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
1980	Georgia	—	7	70	1	—	10.0	—	—	—
1981	Georgia	—	14	84	2	—	6.0	—	—	—
1982	Georgia	—	5	89	1	—	17.8	—	—	—
Career		0	26	243	4	—	9.3	—	—	—

Reference Graph

Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters — every name is linked.

1985 Draft Class· this player went #114

#86Andre ReedWR #89Emile HarryWR #96Ralf MojsiejenkoP #98Walter StanleyWR #100Mark BavaroTE #103Robert LavetteRB #104Ron WolfleyRB #113Kevin GreeneOLB #116K.D. DunnTE #122Raphel CherryDB #126Bruce KingRB #130Jimmy TealWR #135Dan ReederRB #138Lee JohnsonP #142Steve BonoQB #143Rusty HilgerQB

Franchise Succession

the room, before and after

Herschel inherited the Dallas Cowboys RB room from Timmy Newsome (1980–1988), and handed it to Daryl Johnston (1989–1999).

Timmy Newsome 1980–1988Herschel Walker 1986–1997Daryl Johnston 1989–1999Tommie Agee 1990–1994Emmitt Smith 1990–2002Sherman Williams

Similar Players

Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).

Movementderived from season history

1997final season
Last recorded season with DAL
1996team change
Joined DAL (from NYG)
1995team change
Joined NYG (from PHI)
1992team change
Joined PHI (from MIN)
1990team change
Joined MIN (from DAL)
1985draft
Drafted by DAL — Round 5, Pick 114

Athletic & Unique Profile

verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts

6'1" / 225 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 12-season peers. See all →

peak 90

Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season

B+1986

A1987

A+1988

C+1989

B+1990

B+1991

A1992

B+1993

B1994

C+1995

C+1996

C+1997

Availability

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
1986	737	46.1	1,051+314	61.8
1987	891	74.3	1,756+865	103.3
1988	1,514	94.6	2,301+787	135.4
1989	246	22.4	628+382	37
1990	770	48.1	1,267+497	74.6
1991	825	55	1,405+580	82.6
1992	1,070	66.9	1,619+549	95.2
1993	746	46.6	1,197+451	70.4
1994	528	33	891+363	52.4
1995	126	7.9	419+293	24.6
1996	83	5.2	404+321	23.7
1997	20	1.3	298+278	17.5

Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:college-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026

Career Value · VORP

265 career value over replacement — #196 all-time of 4,642. 22.1/season above a replacement-level RB.

Draft OutcomeSteal ↑

Pick #114 (Rd 5) · DAL · 1985 · +44.2 vs expected KV-H

81actual

36.8 expected · Δ+44.2

Fan Rating

Rate Herschel Walker — All-Time

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Compare Herschel Walker vs Player Report data error

Herschel Walker

All-Time Rank & Honors

Archetype Intelligence

Career Value · VORP

Combined Season Grid

Rushing

Receiving

KV-H Anatomy

All-Time Standing

Career Aging Trajectory

From Scrimmage · Career

College Stats

College Rushing

College Receiving

Reference Graph

Top Teammates

1985 Draft Class· this player went #114

Franchise Succession

Similar Players

Movementderived from season history

Athletic & Unique Profile

Knox

Era Translator

Career Geography