Michael Clayton is a career quality starter — a receiver whose body of work places Clayton in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Clayton's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.

WRNYG#83RES

Michael Clayton

10th youngest · 1,000 Receiving Yards Top 27% all-time WRsHigh-End Starter🌅 Early Bloomer · 2004Two-Way ProfileTeam Carrier · #237

Height6'3"

Weight202 lb

BornOct 13, 1982

Age43

CollegeLSU See College Stats

Rookie yr2004

Draft2004 · Rd 1, Pick 15 · TB

Archetype Intelligence

High-End StarterExplore archetypes →

A quality wide receiver with a top 30% among starters — a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.

Career Value · VORP

VORP 37 · #2435 · Role Player

Worth 37 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver — top 53% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 3 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +12.3 on average.See board →

Seasons above replacement

3 cleared

3 replaced

Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit

Replacement

the KC-H bar

→

Seasons over

cleared the bar

+12.3

Avg surplus

peak +30

3 seasons × ~12.3 surplus ≈ VORP 37

Combined Season Grid

The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.

4 grids split in one view

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Receiving									Rushing								Passing													Defense
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	TD%	Int%	Y/A	AdjY/A	TD:INT	Rate	Sk	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	TD	Sfty
2004	—	TB	16	—	80	80	1,193	7	100.0%	14.9	14.9	—	56	5	30	0	6.0	0.0	3	60.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004	—	ARI	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	3	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0
2005	—	TB	11	—	32	32	372	0	100.0%	11.6	11.6	—	18	1	2	0	2.0	0.0	0	0.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	—	TB	12	—	33	33	356	1	100.0%	10.8	10.8	—	22	5	41	0	8.2	0.0	2	40.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	—	CAR	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0
2007	—	TB	10	—	22	22	301	0	100.0%	13.7	13.7	—	14	5	22	0	4.4	0.0	2	40.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	TB	14	—	38	38	484	1	100.0%	12.7	12.7	—	21	2	5	0	2.5	0.0	0	0.0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	ATL	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0
2009	—	TB	12	—	48	16	230	1	33.3%	14.4	4.8	—	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	1	0.0%	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	—	39.6	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	—	MIA	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	1	—	0	0
2010	—	NYG	2	—	4	2	19	0	50.0%	9.5	4.8	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011	—	NYG	1	—	1	0	0	0	0.0%	—	0.0	—	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Career		—	86	—	258	223	2,955	10	86.4%	13.3	11.5	—	143	18	100	0	5.6	0.0	7	38.9	0	0	1	0.0%	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	—	39.6	0	8	8	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	1	—	0	0

Career EPA186.2·-0 passing · 3 rushing · 184 receiving·23.3/season

Passing

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	TD%	Int%	Y/A	AdjY/A	TD:INT	Rate	Sk	VAL
2009	27	TB	12	—	0	1	0.0%	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	—	39.6	0	4.2
Career			12		0	1	0.0%	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	—	—	39.6	0	37.9

Rushing

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%
2004	22	TB	16	—	5	30	6.0	0.0	3	60.0
2005	23	TB	11	—	1	2	2.0	0.0	0	0.0
2006	24	TB	12	—	5	41	8.2	0.0	2	40.0
2007	25	TB	10	—	5	22	4.4	0.0	2	40.0
2008	26	TB	14	—	2	5	2.5	0.0	0	0.0
Career			63		18	100	5.6	—	7	—

Receiving

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
2004	22	TB	16	—	80	80	1,193	7	100.0%	14.9	14.9	—	56
2005	23	TB	11	—	32	32	372	0	100.0%	11.6	11.6	—	18
2006	24	TB	12	—	33	33	356	1	100.0%	10.8	10.8	—	22
2007	25	TB	10	—	22	22	301	0	100.0%	13.7	13.7	—	14
2008	26	TB	14	—	38	38	484	1	100.0%	12.7	12.7	—	21
2009	27	TB	12	—	48	16	230	1	33.3%	14.4	4.8	—	11
2010	28	NYG	2	—	4	2	19	0	50.0%	9.5	4.8	—	1
2011	29	NYG	1	—	1	0	0	0	0.0%	—	0.0	—	0
Career			78		258	223	2,955	10	86.4%	13.3	11.5	—	143

Defense

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tkl	Solo	Sk	Dis	FF	FR
2004	22	ARI	3	—	3	3	0.0	0.0	0	—
2006	24	CAR	2	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	0	—
2008	26	ATL	1	—	1	1	0.0	0.0	0	—
2009	27	MIA	2	—	2	2	0.0	0.0	1	—
Career			8		8	8	—	—	1	—

Advanced (EPA)

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Pass EPA	Rush EPA	Rec EPA	Pass AirYd	Rec AirYd
2004	22	—	—	—	—	2.6	98.9	0	0
2005	23	—	—	—	—	-0.5	31.7	0	0
2006	24	—	—	—	—	1.4	27.3	0	255
2007	25	—	—	—	—	0.2	24.6	0	165
2008	26	—	—	—	—	-0.6	31.0	0	296
2009	27	—	—	—	-0.4	—	-27.4	13	603
2010	28	—	—	—	—	—	-1.9	0	45
2011	29	—	—	—	—	—	-0.4	0	2
Career					—	—	—	13	1,366

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 57 · Strong Starter

A strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 57 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 57 × longevity 1 = KV-H 57· confidence 100%

What builds the career mark of 55

On-field 39

Availability 16

On-field production Staying available

Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)

2004bestavg 53elite 702009

Team Carrier Evidence

Ranked #237 of 600 by seasons where high individual production happened on low-win teams. Score aggregates only tracked StatVault categories.

Full board

Total Score

2 qualifying seasons

2004 TB·5 team wins#13

Receiving Yards · 1,193 · score 26

2004 TB·5 team wins#18

Receptions · 80 · score 16

All-Time Standing

how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position

Depth

of 100

Reached 14% of the all-time Receptions leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.

14% of the all-time Receptions leader14

0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0

23.28 EPA/season over 8 seasons58

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: 90%.

Career Aging Trajectory

vs. position group average · KV-H basis

Amber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average wide receivers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).

Combine · 2004

Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.

WR · 2004 class

4.67s

40-Yard

Low · 3th pct

Pos 3thAll 48thClass Pos 10thClass All 50th

32.5"

Vertical

Low · 13th pct

Pos 13thAll 39thClass Pos 17thClass All 38th

116"

Broad Jump

Low · 15th pct

Pos 15thAll 46thClass Pos 19thClass All 55th

6.77s

3-Cone

Strong · 80th pct

Pos 80thAll 92thClass Pos 96thClass All 96th

4.09s

Shuttle

Strong · 80th pct

Pos 80thAll 89thClass Pos 75thClass All 73th

Postseason Career

1 playoff game

Receiving

Tgt3Rec3Yds39Ctch%100.0%Y/R13.0Y/Tgt13.01D2

Advanced (EPA)

Rec EPA2.9Rec AirYd22

College Stats

LSUCollege listed; stat table pending import

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.

2004 Draft Class· this player went #15

#7Roy WilliamsWR #8DeAngelo HallS #9Reggie WilliamsWR #10Dunta RobinsonCB #11Ben RoethlisbergerQB #12Jonathan VilmaOLB #13Lee EvansWR #14Tommie HarrisDT #16Shawn AndrewsOT #18Will SmithLB #19Vernon CareyG #20Kenechi UdezeDE #21Vince WilforkNT #22J.P. LosmanQB #23Marcus TubbsDT #24Steven JacksonRB

Franchise Succession

the room, before and after

Michael inherited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR room from Joey Galloway (2004–2008), and handed it to Ike Hilliard (2005–2008).

Gerald Carter 1981–1987Bruce Hill 1987–1991Mark Carrier 1987–1992Willie Drewrey 1989–1992Lawrence Dawsey 1991–1995Courtney Hawkins

Similar Players

Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).

Movementderived from season history

2011final season
Last recorded season with NYG
2010team change
Joined NYG (from TB)
2004draft
Drafted by TB — Round 1, Pick 15

Athletic & Unique Profile

verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts

6'3" / 202 lb

Frame

209 lb at 4.67s

Size-speed

32.5" vert / 116" broad

Explosion

Injury History

2 career games missed (Out)

From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.

Season	Team	Games Out	Designations
2011	NYG	0	W12Questionable· Knee
2009	TB	2	W7Questionable· HamstringW9Questionable· WristW13Out· KneeW14Doubtful· KneeW15Out· KneeW16Questionable· Knee

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 6-season peers. See all →

peak 60

Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season

B+2004

C2005

C2006

C2007

C+2008

C2009

Availability

Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.

61%

Era Translator

Rec Yds 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 Rec Yds	Rec Yds/G	→ 2025 Rec Yds	→ 2025 /G
2004	1,193	74.6	1,213+20	71.4
2005	372	33.8	370-2	21.8
2006	356	29.7	284-72	16.7
2007	301	30.1	314+13	18.5
2008	484	34.6	437-47	25.7
2009	230	19.2	174-56	10.2

Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026

Career Value · VORP

37 career value over replacement — #2435 all-time of 4,642. 6.2/season above a replacement-level WR.

Draft OutcomeMiss ↓

Pick #15 (Rd 1) · TB · 2004 · -0.5 vs expected KV-H

57actual

57.5 expected · Δ−0.5

Fan Rating

Rate Michael Clayton — All-Time

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Archetype Intelligence

Career Value · VORP

Combined Season Grid

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Advanced (EPA)

KV-H Anatomy

Team Carrier Evidence

All-Time Standing

Career Aging Trajectory

Combine · 2004

Postseason Career

Receiving

Advanced (EPA)

College Stats

Reference Graph

Top Teammates

2004 Draft Class· this player went #15

Franchise Succession

Similar Players

Movementderived from season history

Athletic & Unique Profile

Injury History

Knox

Era Translator