Kelvin Sheppard is a career quality starter — a linebacker whose body of work places Sheppard in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Sheppard's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Kelvin Sheppard
Height6'2"
Weight249 lb
BornJan 2, 1988
Age38
CollegeLSUSee College Stats
ConferenceSoutheastern
Rookie yr2011
Draft2011 · Rd 3, Pick 68 · BUF
A quality linebacker with a top 30% among starters — a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value · VORP
VORP 51 · #2021 · Above AverageWorth 51 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker — top 45% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +8.5 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+8.5
Avg surplus
peak +21
6 seasons × ~8.5 surplus ≈ VORP 51
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.
2 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | Snap Counts | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2011 | — | BUF | 13 | — | 48 | 29 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | BUF | 15 | — | 60 | 36 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | IND | 11 | — | 42 | 17 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 333 | 35.4% | 176 | 40.6% |
| 2014 | — | MIA | 5 | — | 19 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 121 | 31.8% | 153 | 39.4% |
| 2015 | — | MIA | 16 | — | 100 | 70 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 707 | 61.7% | 175 | 43.2% |
| 2016 | — | NYG | 16 | — | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 452 | 40.8% | 155 | 36.5% |
| 2017 | — | NYG | 7 | — | 44 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 386 | 85.1% | 3 | 10.0% |
| 2018 | — | DET | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 11 | 16.0% | 108 | 58.7% |
| Career | — | 84 | — | 350 | 209 | 141 | 25 | 10 | 3.0 | 38.0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | — | 0 | 1 | — | 0.0% | 2,010 | 45.1% | 770 | 38.1% | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 23 | BUF | 13 | — | 48 | 29 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2012 | 24 | BUF | 15 | — | 60 | 36 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6.6 |
| 2013 | 25 | IND | 11 | 0* | 42 | 17 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4.5 |
| 2014 | 26 | MIA | 5 | 0* | 19 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 2.4 |
| 2015 | 27 | MIA | 16 | 10* | 100 | 70 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8.3 |
| 2016 | 28 | NYG | 16 | 0* | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5.6 |
| 2017 | 29 | NYG | 7 | 6* | 44 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4.9 |
| 2018 | 30 | DET | 1 | 0* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Career | 84 | 16* | 350 | 209 | 141 | 25 | 10 | — | — | 2 | 11 | 1 | — | 0 | 1 | 37.3 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 25 | IND | 15 | 0* | — | 0.0% | 333 | 35.4% | 176 | 40.6% |
| 2014 | 26 | MIA | 14 | 0* | — | 0.0% | 121 | 31.8% | 153 | 39.4% |
| 2015 | 27 | MIA | 16 | 10* | — | 0.0% | 707 | 61.7% | 175 | 43.2% |
| 2016 | 28 | NYG | 16 | 0* | — | 0.0% | 452 | 40.8% | 155 | 36.5% |
| 2017 | 29 | NYG | 7 | 6* | — | 0.0% | 386 | 85.1% | 3 | 10.0% |
| 2018 | 30 | DET | 7 | 0* | — | 0.0% | 11 | 16.0% | 108 | 58.7% |
| Career | 75 | 16* | — | — | 2,010 | — | 770 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 57 · Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 57 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
55
Sustained
career value
×.6
60
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×1
Longevity
career length
Blend 57 × longevity 1 = KV-H 57· confidence 93%
What builds the career mark of 55
On-field 38.5
Availability 16.5
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
2011bestavg 512017
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position2
Depth
of 100
Reached 2% of the all-time Sacks leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
2% of the all-time Sacks leader2
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
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: 92%.
Per-Snap Impact
Linebackers · proprietary · 2012+39
Rotational
SIS
Disruption/1001.791Snap share45.1%Def snaps2,010ReliableCV 0.39
Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within linebackers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine · 2011
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.70s
40-Yard
Below avg · 43th pct
Pos 43thAll 44thClass Pos 52thClass All 44th
33.5"
Vertical
Below avg · 43th pct
Pos 43thAll 49thClass Pos 72thClass All 54th
110"
Broad Jump
Low · 8th pct
Pos 8thAll 25thClass Pos 22thClass All 27th
22 reps
Bench
Below avg · 49th pct
Pos 49thAll 56thClass Pos 50thClass All 52th
4.28s
Shuttle
Above avg · 55th pct
Pos 55thAll 60thClass Pos 56thClass All 49th
Postseason Career
2 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl11Solo3Ast8FR1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (LSU), 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.
Top Teammates
Olivier VernonDE4yDevon KennardOLB3yDamon HarrisonDT3yBilly TurnerOT3yMike PounceyC3yTashard ChoiceRB3yRomeo OkwaraDE3yEli ManningQB2yRian LindellK2yJason Pierre-PaulDE2yKyle WilliamsDT2yRyan FitzpatrickQB2yDominique Rodgers-CromartieCB2yRyan TannehillQB2yJanoris JenkinsCB2yLee SmithTE2yNick BarnettLB2yCameron WakeLB2yBrent GrimesCB2yJarvis LandryWR2yJustin PughG2yChris KelsayDE2yFred JacksonRB2yJamaal CharlesRB2y
2011 Draft Class· this player went #68
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2018team change
Joined DET (from NYG)
- 2018final season
Last recorded season with DET
- 2016team change
Joined NYG (from MIA)
- 2014team change
Joined MIA (from IND)
- 2013team change
Joined IND (from BUF)
- 2011draft
Drafted by BUF — Round 3, Pick 68
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 249 lb
Frame
250 lb at 4.70s
Size-speed
33.5" vert / 110" broad
Explosion
22 reps
Bench power
Injury History
From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | NYG | 0 | W11Doubtful· GroinW12Questionable· Groin |
| 2015 | MIA | 0 | W12Questionable· Hamstring |
| 2014 | MIA | 0 | W10Questionable· Hip / GroinW11Questionable· Hip / Groin |
| 2013 | IND | 0 | W7Questionable· Hamstring |
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 7-season peers. See all →
57
peak 60
Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+2011
C+2012
C+2013
F2014
B2015
C+2016
C+2017
Availability
Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
80%
Era Translator
Tackles 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 Tackles | Tackles/G | → 2025 Tackles | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 48 | 3.7 | 52+4 | 3.1 |
| 2012 | 60 | 4 | 55-5 | 3.2 |
| 2013 | 42 | 3.8 | 47+5 | 2.8 |
| 2014 | 19 | 3.8 | 45+26 | 2.6 |
| 2015 | 100 | 6.3 | 91-9 | 5.3 |
| 2016 | 36 | 2.3 | 24-12 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | 44 | 6.3 | 95+51 | 5.6 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026
Career Value · VORP
51 career value over replacement — #2021 all-time of 4,642. 7.3/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeValue ↑
Pick #68 (Rd 3) · BUF · 2011 · +13.4 vs expected KV-H
57actual
43.6 expected · Δ+13.4
Fan Rating
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