J.J. Birden is a career quality starter β a receiver whose body of work places Birden in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Birden's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
J.J. Birden
Top 20% all-time WRsIron Man
Height5'9"
Weight170 lb
BornJun 16, 1965
Age61
CollegeOregonSee College Stats
Rookie yr1990
Draft1988 Β· Rd 8, Pick 216 Β· CLE
A high-end wide receiver 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 69 Β· #1647 Β· Above AverageWorth 69 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 36% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 7 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +9.9 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
7 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
7
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+9.9
Avg surplus
peak +17
7 seasons Γ ~9.9 surplus β VORP 69
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 | |||||
| 1990 | β | KAN | 11 | β | β | 15 | 352 | 3 | β | 23.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | KAN | 15 | β | β | 27 | 465 | 2 | β | 17.2 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | KAN | 16 | β | β | 42 | 644 | 3 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | KAN | 16 | β | β | 51 | 721 | 2 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | KAN | 13 | β | β | 48 | 637 | 4 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | ATL | 10 | β | β | 31 | 303 | 1 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | ATL | 12 | β | β | 30 | 319 | 2 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 93 | β | β | 244 | 3,441 | 17 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25 | KAN | 11 | β | β | 15 | 352 | 3 | β | 23.5 | β | β | β | 7.2 |
| 1991 | 26 | KAN | 15 | β | β | 27 | 465 | 2 | β | 17.2 | β | β | β | 8 |
| 1992 | 27 | KAN | 16 | β | β | 42 | 644 | 3 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β | 10.2 |
| 1993 | 28 | KAN | 16 | β | β | 51 | 721 | 2 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β | 9.9 |
| 1994 | 29 | KAN | 13 | β | β | 48 | 637 | 4 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β | 9.4 |
| 1995 | 30 | ATL | 10 | β | β | 31 | 303 | 1 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β | 4.7 |
| 1996 | 31 | ATL | 12 | β | β | 30 | 319 | 2 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β | 5.7 |
| Career | 93 | β | 244 | 3,441 | 17 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β | 55.1 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 61 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 61 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
59
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
63
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 60.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 61Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 59
On-field 41.8
Availability 17.2
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1990bestavg 581996
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position14
Depth
of 100
Reached 16% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
16% of the all-time Receptions leader16
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: 93%.
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+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
π Consistent
Yards / Reception: 14.1 regular season β 12.9 playoffs (6 playoff seasons)
-8%
vs reg season
Postseason Career
Receiving
Rec33Yds427TD3Y/R12.9
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Oregon), 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
Neil SmithDE5yDerrick ThomasOLB5yBryan BarkerP4yJonathan HayesTE4yTodd McNairRB4yTracy SimienILB4yKimble AndersRB4yJoe PhillipsNT3yDale CarterCB3yLonnie MartsOLB3yHarvey WilliamsRB3yCharles MincyFS3yEmile HarryWR3yChristian OkoyeRB3yBarry WordRB3yKeith CashTE3yTim BarnettWR3yBill JonesRB3yJessie TuggleMLB2yTerance MathisWR2yDan StryzinskiP2yEric MetcalfWR2yMarcus AllenRB2yCraig HeywardRB2y
1988 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #216
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJ.J. inherited the Kansas City Chiefs WR room from Robb Thomas (1989β1991), and handed it to Tim Barnett (1991β1993).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1996final season
Last recorded season with ATL
- 1995team change
Joined ATL (from KAN)
- 1990team change
Joined KAN (from CLE)
- 1988draft
Drafted by CLE β Round 8, Pick 216
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'9" / 170 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 7-season peers. See all β
61
peak 63
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1990
C+1991
B1992
B1993
B1994
C+1995
C+1996
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 7 seasons.
83%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 352 | 32 | 541+189 | 31.8 |
| 1991 | 465 | 31 | 520+55 | 30.6 |
| 1992 | 644 | 40.3 | 652+8 | 38.3 |
| 1993 | 721 | 45.1 | 714-7 | 42 |
| 1994 | 637 | 49 | 742+105 | 43.7 |
| 1995 | 303 | 30.3 | 496+193 | 29.2 |
| 1996 | 319 | 26.6 | 447+128 | 26.3 |
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
69 career value over replacement β #1647 all-time of 4,642. 9.9/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #216 (Rd 8) Β· CLE Β· 1988 Β· +37.1 vs expected KV-H
61actual
23.9 expected Β· Ξ+37.1
Fan Rating
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