Joel Dreessen is a career quality starter — a tight end whose body of work places Dreessen in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Dreessen's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.

TEDEN#81ACT

Joel Dreessen

Top 31% all-time TEsReliable Starter📉 Fades · -31% playoffsTwo-Way Profile

Height6'4"

Weight245 lb

BornJul 26, 1982

Age43

CollegeColorado State See College Stats

Rookie yr2005

Draft2005 · Rd 6, Pick 198 · NYJ

Archetype Intelligence

Reliable StarterExplore archetypes →

A tight end with a above-average career — the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (excellent availability over their career) added to their value.

Career Value · VORP

VORP 53 · #1967 · Above Average

Worth 53 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end — top 43% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +13.3 on average.See board →

Seasons above replacement

4 cleared

4 replaced

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

Replacement

the KC-H bar

→

Seasons over

cleared the bar

+13.3

Avg surplus

peak +19

4 seasons × ~13.3 surplus ≈ VORP 53

Combined Season Grid

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

4 grids split in one view

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Receiving									Defense													Snap Counts						Advanced (EPA)
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	TD	Sfty	Off	Off%	Def	Def%	ST	ST%	Pass EPA	Rush EPA	Rec EPA	Pass AirYd	Rec AirYd
2005	—	NYJ	4	—	5	5	41	0	100.0%	8.2	8.2	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.1	0	0
2007	—	HOU	4	—	4	4	55	2	100.0%	13.8	13.8	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007	—	CLE	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	8.7	0	50
2008	—	HOU	9	—	11	11	77	0	100.0%	7.0	7.0	—	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4.3	0	37
2009	—	HOU	13	—	39	26	320	1	66.7%	12.3	8.2	—	16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	—	LA	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2.4	0	265
2010	—	HOU	15	—	55	36	518	4	65.5%	14.4	9.4	—	24	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010	—	JAX	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	25.1	0	472
2011	—	HOU	16	—	39	28	353	6	71.8%	12.6	9.1	—	17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	26.3	0	308
2012	—	DEN	16	—	58	41	356	5	70.7%	8.7	6.1	—	19	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012	—	KC	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	14.1	0	325
2013	—	DEN	5	—	9	7	47	1	77.8%	6.7	5.2	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	159	20.3%	—	0.0%	219	50.9%	—	—	—	—	—
2013	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4.1	0	38
Career		—	88	—	220	158	1,767	19	71.8%	11.2	8.0	—	87	5	5	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	159	20.3%	—	0.0%	219	50.9%	—	—	87.2	0	1,495

Career EPA87.2·87 receiving·10.9/season

Receiving

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D	VAL
2005	23	NYJ	4	—	5	5	41	0	100.0%	8.2	8.2	—	1	1.2
2007	25	HOU	4	—	4	4	55	2	100.0%	13.8	13.8	—	3	2.5
2008	26	HOU	9	—	11	11	77	0	100.0%	7.0	7.0	—	4	2.4
2009	27	HOU	13	—	39	26	320	1	66.7%	12.3	8.2	—	16	7.3
2010	28	HOU	15	—	55	36	518	4	65.5%	14.4	9.4	—	24	11.5
2011	29	HOU	16	—	39	28	353	6	71.8%	12.6	9.1	—	17	12.1
2012	30	DEN	16	—	58	41	356	5	70.7%	8.7	6.1	—	19	10.9
2013	31	DEN	5	0*	9	7	47	1	77.8%	6.7	5.2	—	3	2.3
Career			82		220	158	1,767	19	71.8%	11.2	8.0	—	87	50.2

* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)

Defense

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tkl	Solo	Sk	Dis	FR
2007	25	CLE	2	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
2008	26	HOU	2	—	0	0	0.0	0.0	—
2009	27	LA	1	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
2010	28	JAX	2	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
2012	30	KC	1	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	—
Career			8		5	5	—	—	—

Snap Counts

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Off	Off%	Def	Def%	ST	ST%
2013	31	DEN	13	0*	159	20.3%	—	0.0%	219	50.9%
Career			13		159	—	—	—	219	—

* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)

Advanced (EPA)

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Pass EPA	Rush EPA	Rec EPA	Rec AirYd
2005	23	—	—	—	—	—	2.1	0
2007	25	—	—	—	—	—	8.7	50
2008	26	—	—	—	—	—	4.3	37
2009	27	—	—	—	—	—	2.4	265
2010	28	—	—	—	—	—	25.1	472
2011	29	—	—	—	—	—	26.3	308
2012	30	—	—	—	—	—	14.1	325
2013	31	—	—	0*	—	—	4.1	38
Career					—	—	—	1,495

* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 55 · Strong Starter

A strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 55 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 54.6 × longevity 1 = KV-H 55· confidence 83%

What builds the career mark of 51

On-field 35.3

Availability 15.7

On-field production Staying available

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

2005bestavg 422013

All-Time Standing

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

Depth

of 100

Reached 10% of the all-time Receptions leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.

10% of the all-time Receptions leader10

0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0

10.9 EPA/season over 8 seasons54

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: 90%.

Per-Snap Impact

Tight Ends · proprietary · 2012+

—

below snap floor

Yards / snap:0.296 ydsSee leaderboard →

Yards/snap0.296Touch rate0.057EPA/snap0.026Snap share20.3%Off snaps159Emerging

Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within tight ends, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).

Career Aging Trajectory

vs. position group average · KV-H basis

Amber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).

Combine · 2005

Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.

TE · 2005 class

4.72s

40-Yard

Above avg · 55th pct

Pos 55thAll 42thClass Pos 89thClass All 44th

36"

Vertical

Strong · 80th pct

Pos 80thAll 73thClass Pos 70thClass All 66th

113"

Broad Jump

Below avg · 29th pct

Pos 29thAll 35thClass Pos 40thClass All 46th

22 reps

Bench

Above avg · 65th pct

Pos 65thAll 56thClass Pos 36thClass All 51th

7.09s

3-Cone

Above avg · 54th pct

Pos 54thAll 57thClass Pos 70thClass All 69th

4.01s

Shuttle

Elite · 99th pct

Pos 99thAll 95thClass Pos 90thClass All 82th

Playoff vs Regular Season

📉 Regular Season Player

Yards / Reception: 11.2 regular season → 7.7 playoffs (2 playoff seasons)

-31%

vs reg season

Postseason Career

2 playoff games

Receiving

Tgt9Rec6Yds46Ctch%66.7%Y/R7.7Y/Tgt5.11D1

Advanced (EPA)

Rec EPA1.9Rec AirYd47

College Stats

Colorado StateCollege listed; stat table pending import

College stats are not imported for this profile yet.

StatVault has the verified college attribution (Colorado State), 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 — every name is linked.

2005 Draft Class· this player went #198

#187Will SvitekOT #188C.C. BrownDB #189Jovan HayeDE #190Tab PerryWR #191C.J. MosleyDT #192Dante RidgewayWR #193Jason JeffersonDT #194Pat ThomasMLB #200Chris MyersC #201DeAndra CobbRB #202Dave RaynerK #204Chris KemoeatuG #207Joe BergerG #210Reggie HodgesP #212Ryan RiddleLB #213Derek AndersonQB

Franchise Succession

the room, before and after

Joel inherited the Houston Texans TE room from Owen Daniels (2006–2013), and handed it to James Casey (2009–2012).

Frank Wycheck 1995–1996Billy Miller 2002–2004Owen Daniels 2006–2013Joel Dreessen 2007–2011James Casey 2009–2012Garrett Graham

Similar Players

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

Movementderived from season history

2013final season
Last recorded season with DEN
2012team change
Joined DEN (from HOU)
2007team change
Joined HOU (from NYJ)
2005draft
Drafted by NYJ — Round 6, Pick 198

Athletic & Unique Profile

verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts

6'4" / 245 lb

Frame

260 lb at 4.72s

Size-speed

36" vert / 113" broad

Explosion

22 reps

Bench power

Injury History

2 career games missed (Out)

From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.

Season	Team	Games Out	Designations
2013	DEN	2	W1Out· KneeW2Out· KneeW3Questionable· KneeW4Questionable· Knee
2011	HOU	0	W15Questionable· Knee
2009	HOU	0	W4Questionable· Hip

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 8-season peers. See all →

peak 60

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

F2005

F2007

D2008

C+2009

B2010

C+2011

C+2012

F2013

Availability

Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.

85%

Era Translator

Rec 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 Rec Yds	Rec Yds/G	→ 2025 Rec Yds	→ 2025 /G
2005	41	10.3	134+93	7.9
2007	55	13.8	225+170	13.2
2008	77	8.6	121+44	7.1
2009	320	24.6	401+81	23.6
2010	518	34.5	560+42	32.9
2011	353	22.1	358+5	21.1
2012	356	22.3	360+4	21.2
2013	47	9.4	158+111	9.3

Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026

Career Value · VORP

53 career value over replacement — #1967 all-time of 4,642. 6.6/season above a replacement-level TE.

Draft OutcomeSteal ↑

Pick #198 (Rd 6) · NYJ · 2005 · +29.1 vs expected KV-H

55actual

25.9 expected · Δ+29.1

Fan Rating

Rate Joel Dreessen — All-Time

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Archetype Intelligence

Career Value · VORP

Combined Season Grid

Receiving

Defense

Snap Counts

Advanced (EPA)

KV-H Anatomy

All-Time Standing

Per-Snap Impact

Career Aging Trajectory

Combine · 2005

Postseason Career

Receiving

Advanced (EPA)

College Stats

Reference Graph

Top Teammates

2005 Draft Class· this player went #198

Franchise Succession

Similar Players

Movementderived from season history

Athletic & Unique Profile

Injury History

Knox

Era Translator

Career Geography