Joe Delaney is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Delaney in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Delaney's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Joe Delaney
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
A running back with a top 30% among starters β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (exceptional availability β almost never missed time) added to their value.
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 | KC | 15 | β | 234 | 1,121 | 3 | 4.8 | 1.3 | β | β | β | β | 22 | 246 | 0 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β |
| 1982 | β | KC | 8 | β | 95 | 380 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 11 | 53 | 0 | β | 4.8 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 23 | β | 329 | 1,501 | 3 | 4.6 | 0.9 | β | β | β | 0 | 33 | 299 | 0 | β | 9.1 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
Receiving
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 57 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 57 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 2 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
73
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
72
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ0.79
Longevity
career length
Blend 72.6 Γ longevity 0.79 = KV-H 57Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 73
On-field 54.7
Availability 18.3
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1981bestavg 72elite 701982
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position7
Depth
of 100
Reached 8% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
8% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader8
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: 85%.
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+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Northwestern State (LA)), 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
1981 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #41
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJoe inherited the Kansas City Chiefs RB room from Jim Hadnot (1980β1983), and handed it to Billy Jackson (1981β1984).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1982final season
Last recorded season with KC
- 1981draft
Drafted by KAN β Round 2, Pick 41
- 1981team change
Joined KC (from KAN)
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 2-season peers. See all β
57
peak 72
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B+1981
B1982
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 2 seasons.
92%
Durability IQ
Composite score across availability, IR frequency, and injury severity. See all β
95
IronEra 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 | 1,121 | 74.7 | 1,309+188 | 77 |
| 1982 | 380 | 47.5 | 953+573 | 56.1 |
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
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #41 (Rd 2) Β· KAN Β· 1981 Β· +7.2 vs expected KV-H
57actual
49.8 expected Β· Ξ+7.2
Fan Rating
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