John Thornton is a career quality starter β a pass rusher whose body of work places Thornton in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Thornton's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
John Thornton
Top 27% all-time pass rushersHigh-End Starter
A quality edge rusher with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 102 Β· #1094 Β· High-ValueWorth 102 points of value above a freely-available replacement interior lineman β top 25% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 9 of 9 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +11.3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
9 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
9
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+11.3
Avg surplus
peak +23
9 seasons Γ ~11.3 surplus β VORP 102
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 | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 1999 | β | TEN | 11 | β | 18 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4.5 | 15.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | β | TEN | 12 | β | 22 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | TEN | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | TEN | 11 | β | 18 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | CIN | 15 | β | 29 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | CIN | 16 | β | 50 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | CIN | 15 | β | 36 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | CIN | 14 | β | 39 | 24 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | β | CIN | 14 | β | 28 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | β | CIN | 13 | β | 23 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 122 | β | 263 | 167 | 96 | 20 | 26 | 27.5 | 73.5 | 1 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 23 | TEN | 11 | β | 18 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4.5 | 15.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 1 | 8.6 |
| 2000 | 24 | TEN | 12 | β | 22 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 |
| 2001 | 25 | TEN | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2002 | 26 | TEN | 11 | β | 18 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 5.8 |
| 2003 | 27 | CIN | 15 | β | 29 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 |
| 2004 | 28 | CIN | 16 | β | 50 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 9.4 |
| 2005 | 29 | CIN | 15 | β | 36 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 |
| 2006 | 30 | CIN | 14 | β | 39 | 24 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 |
| 2007 | 31 | CIN | 14 | β | 28 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| 2008 | 32 | CIN | 13 | β | 23 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 8.4 |
| Career | 122 | 263 | 167 | 96 | 20 | 26 | β | β | 1 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 74.5 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 60 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 60 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 9 scored seasons.
58
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
63
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 60 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 60Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 58
On-field 41
Availability 17
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
1999bestavg 58elite 702008
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position13
Depth
of 100
Reached 14% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
14% of the all-time Sacks leader14
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 defensive linemen aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
3 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl3Solo2Ast1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (West Virginia), 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
Chad JohnsonWR7yShayne GrahamK6yReggie KellyTE6yJustin SmithDE5yCarson PalmerQB5yT.J. HoushmandzadehWR5yRobert GeathersDE5yRudi JohnsonRB5yKenny WatsonRB5yJeremi JohnsonFB5yKyle LarsonP5yDerrick MasonWR4ySteve McNairQB4ySamari RolleCB4yEddie GeorgeRB4yFrank WycheckTE4yCraig HentrichP4yBrian SimmonsLB4yNeil O'DonnellQB4yHenry FordDT4yJevon KearseDE4yTory JamesCB4yDeltha O'NealCB4yMadieu WilliamsFS4y
1999 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #52
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJohn inherited the Cincinnati Bengals DL room from Duane Clemons (2003β2005), and handed it to Shaun Smith (2004β2009).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2008final season
Last recorded season with CIN
- 2003team change
Joined CIN (from TEN)
- 1999draft
Drafted by TEN β Round 2, Pick 52
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'3" / 297 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
60
peak 63
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1999
B2000
C+2002
B+2003
C+2004
C+2005
C+2006
C+2007
C+2008
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 10 seasons.
76%
Era Translator
Sacks 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 Sacks | Sacks/G | β 2025 Sacks | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4.5 | 0.4 | 6+1.5 | 0.4 |
| 2000 | 4 | 0.3 | 5+1 | 0.3 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0.2 | 3+1 | 0.2 |
| 2003 | 6 | 0.4 | 7+1 | 0.4 |
| 2004 | 3 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.2 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | 0.1 |
| 2006 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | 0.1 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 |
| 2008 | 3 | 0.2 | 4+1 | 0.2 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
102 career value over replacement β #1094 all-time of 4,642. 11.3/season above a replacement-level DL.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #52 (Rd 2) Β· TEN Β· 1999 Β· +11.1 vs expected KV-H
60actual
48.9 expected Β· Ξ+11.1
Fan Rating
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