James Wilder ranks in the all-time elite tier for running backs β a career that places Wilder in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Wilder a career score of 75, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
James Wilder
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
A high-end running back defined as much by excellent availability over their career as by their on-field impact (top 10% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 180 Β· #468 Β· EliteWorth 180 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 11% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 10 of 10 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +18 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
10 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
10
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+18
Avg surplus
peak +43
10 seasons Γ ~18 surplus β VORP 180
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 | |||||
| 1981 | β | TB | 16 | β | 107 | 370 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | β | β | β | β | 48 | 507 | 1 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β |
| 1982 | β | TB | 9 | β | 83 | 324 | 3 | 3.9 | 3.6 | β | β | β | β | 53 | 466 | 1 | β | 8.8 | β | β | β |
| 1983 | β | TB | 10 | β | 161 | 640 | 4 | 4.0 | 2.5 | β | β | β | β | 57 | 380 | 2 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | β | TB | 16 | β | 407 | 1,544 | 13 | 3.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β | β | 85 | 685 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | TB | 16 | β | 365 | 1,300 | 10 | 3.6 | 2.7 | β | β | β | β | 53 | 341 | 0 | β | 6.4 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | TB | 12 | β | 190 | 704 | 2 | 3.7 | 1.1 | β | β | β | β | 43 | 326 | 1 | β | 7.6 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | TB | 12 | β | 106 | 488 | 0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 40 | 328 | 1 | β | 8.2 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | TB | 7 | β | 86 | 343 | 1 | 4.0 | 1.2 | β | β | β | β | 15 | 124 | 0 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | TB | 15 | β | 70 | 244 | 0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 36 | 335 | 3 | β | 9.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | DET | 15 | β | 11 | 51 | 0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 1 | 8 | 1 | β | 8.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 128 | β | 1,586 | 6,008 | 37 | 3.8 | 2.3 | β | β | β | 0 | 431 | 3,500 | 10 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 23 | TB | 16 | β | 107 | 370 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | β | β | β | 13.5 |
| 1982 | 24 | TB | 9 | β | 83 | 324 | 3 | 3.9 | 3.6 | β | β | β | 12.3 |
| 1983 | 25 | TB | 10 | β | 161 | 640 | 4 | 4.0 | 2.5 | β | β | β | 13 |
| 1984 | 26 | TB | 16 | β | 407 | 1,544 | 13 | 3.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β | 24.6 |
| 1985 | 27 | TB | 16 | β | 365 | 1,300 | 10 | 3.6 | 2.7 | β | β | β | 16.6 |
| 1986 | 28 | TB | 12 | β | 190 | 704 | 2 | 3.7 | 1.1 | β | β | β | 12.1 |
| 1987 | 29 | TB | 12 | β | 106 | 488 | 0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 9.2 |
| 1988 | 30 | TB | 7 | β | 86 | 343 | 1 | 4.0 | 1.2 | β | β | β | 5.3 |
| 1989 | 31 | TB | 15 | β | 70 | 244 | 0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 12.3 |
| 1990 | 32 | DET | 15 | β | 11 | 51 | 0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 7.1 |
| Career | 128 | 1,586 | 6,008 | 37 | 3.8 | β | β | β | β | 126 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 23 | TB | 16 | β | β | 48 | 507 | 1 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β |
| 1982 | 24 | TB | 9 | β | β | 53 | 466 | 1 | β | 8.8 | β | β | β |
| 1983 | 25 | TB | 10 | β | β | 57 | 380 | 2 | β | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | 26 | TB | 16 | β | β | 85 | 685 | 0 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | 27 | TB | 16 | β | β | 53 | 341 | 0 | β | 6.4 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | 28 | TB | 12 | β | β | 43 | 326 | 1 | β | 7.6 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 29 | TB | 12 | β | β | 40 | 328 | 1 | β | 8.2 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 30 | TB | 7 | β | β | 15 | 124 | 0 | β | 8.3 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 31 | TB | 15 | β | β | 36 | 335 | 3 | β | 9.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 32 | DET | 15 | β | β | 1 | 8 | 1 | β | 8.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 128 | 0 | 431 | 3,500 | 10 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 75 Β· GreatA great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 75 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 10 scored seasons.
69
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
84
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 75 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 75Β· confidence 99%
What builds the career mark of 69
On-field 51.4
Availability 17.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1981bestavg 68elite 701990
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position36
Depth
of 100
Reached 33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader33
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: 91%.
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
9,508
6,008 rush Β· 3,500 recv
Total TDs
47
37 rush Β· 10 recv
Total Touches
2,017
1,586 carries Β· 431 rec
Yds / Touch
4.7
rushing + receiving
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Missouri; Northeast Oklahoma), 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
Gerald CarterWR7yJerry BellTE5yVinny TestaverdeQB3yMark CarrierWR3yRon HallTE3yBruce HillWR3yMichael MortonRB3ySteve YoungQB2yDon SmithRB2yMark WitteTE2yLars TateRB2yWilliam HowardRB2yPhil FreemanWR2yBobby HowardRB2yRay CriswellP2yGene TaylorWR2yJohn CarneyK1yRay CrockettCB1yMike PriorDB1yJim ArnoldP1yJerry BallDT1yBarry SandersRB1yChris MohrP1yDan OwensDT1y
1981 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #34
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJames opened the Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB lineage the corpus knows, and handed it to Lars Tate (1988β1989).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1990team change
Joined DET (from TB)
- 1990final season
Last recorded season with DET
- 1981draft
Drafted by TAM β Round 2, Pick 34
- 1981team change
Joined TB (from TAM)
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'3" / 225 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
75
peak 84
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1981
B1982
B1983
A+1984
A1985
B+1986
B1987
C+1988
C+1989
C+1990
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 10 seasons.
84%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 370 | 23.1 | 486+116 | 28.6 |
| 1982 | 324 | 36 | 743+419 | 43.7 |
| 1983 | 640 | 64 | 1,246+606 | 73.3 |
| 1984 | 1,544 | 96.5 | 1,976+432 | 116.2 |
| 1985 | 1,300 | 81.3 | 1,704+404 | 100.2 |
| 1986 | 704 | 58.7 | 1,312+608 | 77.2 |
| 1987 | 488 | 40.7 | 1,014+526 | 59.6 |
| 1988 | 343 | 49 | 1,245+902 | 73.2 |
| 1989 | 244 | 16.3 | 491+247 | 28.9 |
| 1990 | 51 | 3.4 | 226+175 | 13.3 |
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
180 career value over replacement β #468 all-time of 4,642. 18/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #34 (Rd 2) Β· TAM Β· 1981 Β· +20.1 vs expected KV-H
75actual
54.9 expected Β· Ξ+20.1
Fan Rating
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