Leroy Thompson is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Thompson in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Thompson's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Leroy Thompson
Height5'10"
Weight217 lb
BornFeb 3, 1968
Age58
CollegePenn StateSee College Stats
Rookie yr1991
Draft1991 Β· Rd 6, Pick 158 Β· PIT
A quality running back with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 50 Β· #2046 Β· Above AverageWorth 50 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 45% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +12.5 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
4 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
4
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+12.5
Avg surplus
peak +26
4 seasons Γ ~12.5 surplus β VORP 50
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | 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 | |||||
| 1991 | β | PIT | 13 | β | 20 | 60 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 14 | 118 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 35 | 157 | 1 | 4.5 | 2.9 | β | β | β | β | 22 | 278 | 0 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β | 2 | 2 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 205 | 763 | 3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | β | β | β | β | 38 | 259 | 0 | β | 6.8 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | NE | 16 | β | 102 | 312 | 2 | 3.1 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | 65 | 465 | 5 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | KC | 16 | β | 28 | 73 | 0 | 2.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 9 | 37 | 0 | β | 4.1 | β | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | TB | 5 | β | 14 | 25 | 0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 5 | 36 | 0 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 80 | β | 404 | 1,390 | 6 | 3.4 | 1.5 | β | β | β | 0 | 153 | 1,193 | 5 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β | 12 | 11 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β | |
Rushing
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23 | PIT | 13 | β | β | 14 | 118 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 24 | PIT | 15 | β | β | 22 | 278 | 0 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 25 | PIT | 15 | β | β | 38 | 259 | 0 | β | 6.8 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 26 | NE | 16 | β | β | 65 | 465 | 5 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 27 | KC | 16 | β | β | 9 | 37 | 0 | β | 4.1 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 28 | TB | 5 | β | β | 5 | 36 | 0 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β |
| Career | 80 | 0 | 153 | 1,193 | 5 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23 | PIT | β | β | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 24 | PIT | β | β | 2 | 2 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 25 | PIT | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 26 | NE | β | β | 4 | 4 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 27 | KC | β | β | 3 | 3 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 28 | TB | β | β | 1 | 1 | β | β | β | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 12 | 11 | β | β | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 61 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 61 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
58
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
65
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 60.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 61Β· confidence 94%
What builds the career mark of 58
On-field 40.2
Availability 17.8
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1991bestavg 55elite 701996
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position9
Depth
of 100
Reached 10% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
10% of the all-time Receptions leader10
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 RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
From Scrimmage Β· Career
Scrimmage Yds
2,583
1,390 rush Β· 1,193 recv
Total TDs
11
6 rush Β· 5 recv
Total Touches
557
404 carries Β· 153 rec
Yds / Touch
4.6
rushing + receiving
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Penn 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
Gary AndersonK3yRod WoodsonFS3yHardy NickersonMLB3yCarnell LakeDB3yDwight StoneWR3yJeff GrahamWR3yNeil O'DonnellQB3yMerril HogeFB3yDonald EvansDE3yAdrian CooperTE3yBarry FosterRB3yErnie MillsWR3yLevon KirklandMLB2yMark RoyalsP2yDarren PerryFS2yJoel SteedNT2yBubby BristerQB2yYancey ThigpenWR2yWarren WilliamsRB2yKeith CashTE2yTim WorleyRB2yCharles DavenportWR2yJohn LynchFS1yDerrick BrooksOLB1y
1991 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #158
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterLeroy inherited the Pittsburgh Steelers RB room from Barry Foster (1990β1994), and handed it to Fred McAfee (1994β1998).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1996team change
Joined TB (from KC)
- 1996final season
Last recorded season with TB
- 1995team change
Joined KC (from NE)
- 1994team change
Joined NE (from PIT)
- 1991draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 6, Pick 158
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'10" / 217 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 6-season peers. See all β
61
peak 65
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1991
C+1992
B+1993
B1994
C+1995
F1996
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
83%
Era Translator
Rush 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 Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60 | 4.6 | 263+203 | 15.5 |
| 1992 | 157 | 10.5 | 410+253 | 24.1 |
| 1993 | 763 | 50.9 | 1,287+524 | 75.7 |
| 1994 | 312 | 19.5 | 630+318 | 37 |
| 1995 | 73 | 4.6 | 355+282 | 20.9 |
| 1996 | 25 | 5 | 400+375 | 23.5 |
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
50 career value over replacement β #2046 all-time of 4,642. 8.3/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #158 (Rd 6) Β· PIT Β· 1991 Β· +29.1 vs expected KV-H
61actual
31.9 expected Β· Ξ+29.1
Fan Rating
Rate Leroy Thompson β All-Time
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