John Taylor is a career quality starter β a receiver whose body of work places Taylor in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Taylor's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
John Taylor
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context2x
Pro Bowls
3
Title Seasons
9
Dynasty Seasons
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 125 Β· #817 Β· High-ValueWorth 125 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 19% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 8 of 9 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +15.6 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
8 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
8
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+15.6
Avg surplus
peak +28
8 seasons Γ ~15.6 surplus β VORP 125
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 | |||||
| 1987 | β | SF | 12 | β | β | 9 | 151 | 0 | β | 16.8 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | SF | 12 | β | β | 14 | 325 | 2 | β | 23.2 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | SF | 15 | β | β | 60 | 1,077 | 10 | β | 17.9 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | SF | 14 | β | β | 49 | 748 | 7 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | SF | 16 | β | β | 64 | 1,011 | 9 | β | 15.8 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | SF | 9 | β | β | 25 | 428 | 3 | β | 17.1 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | SF | 16 | β | β | 56 | 940 | 5 | β | 16.8 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | SF | 15 | β | β | 41 | 531 | 5 | β | 13.0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | SF | 12 | β | β | 29 | 387 | 2 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 121 | β | 0 | 347 | 5,598 | 43 | β | 16.1 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 25 | SF | 12 | β | β | 9 | 151 | 0 | β | 16.8 | β | β | β | 3.6 |
| 1988 | 26 | SF | 12 | β | β | 14 | 325 | 2 | β | 23.2 | β | β | β | 6.2 |
| 1989 | 27 | SF | 15 | β | β | 60 | 1,077 | 10 | β | 17.9 | β | β | β | 18.8 |
| 1990 | 28 | SF | 14 | β | β | 49 | 748 | 7 | β | 15.3 | β | β | β | 14 |
| 1991 | 29 | SF | 16 | β | β | 64 | 1,011 | 9 | β | 15.8 | β | β | β | 19.6 |
| 1992 | 30 | SF | 9 | β | β | 25 | 428 | 3 | β | 17.1 | β | β | β | 6.9 |
| 1993 | 31 | SF | 16 | β | β | 56 | 940 | 5 | β | 16.8 | β | β | β | 13.1 |
| 1994 | 32 | SF | 15 | β | β | 41 | 531 | 5 | β | 13.0 | β | β | β | 10 |
| 1995 | 33 | SF | 12 | β | β | 29 | 387 | 2 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β | 6.1 |
| Career | 121 | 0 | 347 | 5,598 | 43 | β | 16.1 | β | β | β | 98.3 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 67 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 67 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 9 scored seasons.
63
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
73
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 67 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 67Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 63
On-field 45.6
Availability 17.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1987bestavg 62elite 701995
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position22
Depth
of 100
Reached 24% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
24% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader24
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: 94%.
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+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Delaware 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 β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Jerry RiceWR9ySteve YoungQB9yBrent JonesTE9yTom RathmanRB7yBill RomanowskiOLB6yEric DavisFS6yDexter CarterRB6yCharles HaleyDE5yJamie WilliamsTE5yMerton HanksDB5yRonnie LottCB4yWesley WallsTE4yRoger CraigRB4yMike WilsonWR4ySteve BonoQB4yKeith HendersonRB4yTed WashingtonNT3yDana StubblefieldDT3yRicky WattersRB3yMarc LoganRB3yTim McDonaldS3yMike SherrardWR3yKlaus WilmsmeyerP3yDana HallDB3y
1986 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #76
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJohn inherited the San Francisco 49ers WR room from Jerry Rice (1985β2000), and handed it to J.J. Stokes (1995β2002).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1995final season
Last recorded season with SF
- 1987team change
Joined SF (from SFO)
- 1986draft
Drafted by SFO β Round 3, Pick 76
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 185 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 9-season peers. See all β
67
peak 73
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C1987
C+1988
B+1989
B1990
B+1991
C+1992
B+1993
C+1994
C+1995
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 9 seasons.
85%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 151 | 12.6 | 254+103 | 15 |
| 1988 | 325 | 27.1 | 470+145 | 27.6 |
| 1989 | 1,077 | 71.8 | 1,159+82 | 68.2 |
| 1990 | 748 | 53.4 | 880+132 | 51.8 |
| 1991 | 1,011 | 63.2 | 1,014+3 | 59.6 |
| 1992 | 428 | 47.6 | 763+335 | 44.9 |
| 1993 | 940 | 58.8 | 921-19 | 54.2 |
| 1994 | 531 | 35.4 | 548+17 | 32.2 |
| 1995 | 387 | 32.3 | 521+134 | 30.6 |
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
125 career value over replacement β #817 all-time of 4,642. 13.9/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #76 (Rd 3) Β· SFO Β· 1986 Β· +27 vs expected KV-H
67actual
40 expected Β· Ξ+27
Fan Rating
Rate John Taylor β All-Time
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