Keith McKeller ranks in the all-time elite tier for tight ends β a career that places McKeller in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns McKeller a career score of 69, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Keith McKeller
A high-end tight end 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 90 Β· #1284 Β· High-ValueWorth 90 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 29% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 5 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +22.5 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
4 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
4
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+22.5
Avg surplus
peak +31
4 seasons Γ ~22.5 surplus β VORP 90
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 | Receiving | Defense | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||
| 1987 | β | BUF | 1 | β | β | 9 | 80 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | BUF | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | BUF | 16 | β | β | 20 | 341 | 2 | β | 17.1 | β | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | BUF | 16 | β | β | 34 | 464 | 5 | β | 13.6 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | BUF | 16 | β | β | 44 | 434 | 3 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | BUF | 11 | β | β | 14 | 110 | 0 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | BUF | 8 | β | β | 3 | 35 | 1 | β | 11.7 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 68 | β | 0 | 124 | 1,464 | 11 | β | 11.8 | β | β | β | 10 | 10 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 23 | BUF | 1 | β | β | 9 | 80 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 25 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 20 | 341 | 2 | β | 17.1 | β | β | β | 12.7 |
| 1990 | 26 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 34 | 464 | 5 | β | 13.6 | β | β | β | 16.5 |
| 1991 | 27 | BUF | 16 | β | β | 44 | 434 | 3 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β | 17.6 |
| 1992 | 28 | BUF | 11 | β | β | 14 | 110 | 0 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β | 5.1 |
| 1993 | 29 | BUF | 8 | β | β | 3 | 35 | 1 | β | 11.7 | β | β | β | 4.1 |
| Career | 68 | 0 | 124 | 1,464 | 11 | β | 11.8 | β | β | β | 56 |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 25 | BUF | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 26 | BUF | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 28 | BUF | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 29 | BUF | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 24 | BUF | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 10 | 10 | β | β | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 69 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 69 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 5 scored seasons.
67
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
74
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 69.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 69Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 67
On-field 49.1
Availability 17.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1989bestavg 63elite 701993
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position7
Depth
of 100
Reached 8% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
8% of the all-time Receptions 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: 90%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends 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 (Jacksonville 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
Bruce SmithDE6yPete MetzelaarsTE6yAndre ReedWR6yCornelius BennettOLB6yJim KellyQB6yThurman ThomasRB5yKenneth DavisRB5yFrank ReichQB5yDon BeebeWR5yJames LoftonWR4yMarvcus PattonMLB4yMike LodishDT4yButch RolleTE4yCarwell GardnerRB4ySteve TaskerWR4yHenry JonesDB3yPhil HansenDE3yChris MohrP3yJamie MuellerRB3yAl EdwardsWR3yJohn KiddP2ySteve ChristieK2yRonnie HarmonRB2yChris BurkettWR2y
1987 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #227
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterKeith inherited the Buffalo Bills TE room from Butch Rolle (1986β1991), and handed it to Tony Cline (1995β1997).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1993final season
Last recorded season with BUF
- 1987draft
Drafted by BUF β Round 9, Pick 227
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'6" / 230 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 5-season peers. See all β
69
peak 74
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1989
B+1990
B+1991
C+1992
C1993
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
84%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 341 | 21.3 | 622+281 | 36.6 |
| 1990 | 464 | 29 | 810+346 | 47.6 |
| 1991 | 434 | 27.1 | 782+348 | 46 |
| 1992 | 110 | 10 | 391+281 | 23 |
| 1993 | 35 | 4.4 | 248+213 | 14.6 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), 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
90 career value over replacement β #1284 all-time of 4,642. 18/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #227 (Rd 9) Β· BUF Β· 1987 Β· +46.2 vs expected KV-H
69actual
22.8 expected Β· Ξ+46.2
Fan Rating
Rate Keith McKeller β All-Time
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