Mike Tolbert is a career quality starter — a running back whose body of work places Tolbert in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Tolbert's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Mike Tolbert
A running back with a top 30% among starters — the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (excellent availability over their career) added to their value.
Career Value · VORP
VORP 44 · #2224 · Above AverageWorth 44 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back — top 49% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 10 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +7.3 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
4 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+7.3
Avg surplus
peak +16
6 seasons × ~7.3 surplus ≈ VORP 44
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 | Rushing | Receiving | Defense | Snap Counts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2008 | — | LAC | 8 | — | 13 | 37 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 4 | 30.8 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 171 | 1 | 100.0% | 13.2 | 13.2 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | — | LAC | 12 | — | 25 | 148 | 1 | 5.9 | 4.0 | 10 | 40.0 | 0 | 22 | 17 | 192 | 3 | 77.3% | 11.3 | 8.7 | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | — | LAC | 15 | — | 182 | 735 | 11 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 42 | 23.1 | 3 | 29 | 25 | 216 | 0 | 86.2% | 8.6 | 7.4 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | — | SEA | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | — | LAC | 15 | — | 121 | 490 | 8 | 4.0 | 6.6 | 25 | 20.7 | 1 | 79 | 54 | 433 | 2 | 68.4% | 8.0 | 5.5 | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | — | NE | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | CAR | 16 | — | 54 | 183 | 7 | 3.4 | 13.0 | 24 | 44.4 | 0 | 39 | 27 | 268 | 0 | 69.2% | 9.9 | 6.9 | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | CAR | 16 | — | 101 | 361 | 5 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 31 | 30.7 | 0 | 32 | 27 | 184 | 2 | 84.4% | 6.8 | 5.8 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 598 | 58.9% | — | 0.0% | 84 | 19.8% |
| 2013 | — | TB | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | — | CAR | 8 | — | 37 | 78 | 0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 4 | 10.8 | 0 | 17 | 12 | 93 | 0 | 70.6% | 7.8 | 5.5 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 220 | 40.0% | — | 0.0% | 39 | 18.1% |
| 2015 | — | CAR | 16 | — | 62 | 256 | 1 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 18 | 29.0 | 0 | 23 | 18 | 154 | 3 | 78.3% | 8.6 | 6.7 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 422 | 38.5% | — | 0.0% | 108 | 22.6% |
| 2015 | — | TB | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | CAR | 15 | — | 35 | 114 | 0 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 5 | 14.3 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 72 | 1 | 66.7% | 7.2 | 4.8 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 324 | 29.1% | — | 0.0% | 164 | 33.9% |
| 2016 | — | MIN | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | BUF | 12 | — | 66 | 247 | 1 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 9 | 13.6 | 1 | 17 | 14 | 78 | 0 | 82.4% | 5.6 | 4.6 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 203 | 25.8% | — | 0.0% | 87 | 28.4% |
| 2017 | — | NYJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | — | 141 | — | 696 | 2,649 | 34 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 172 | 24.7 | 5 | 286 | 217 | 1,861 | 12 | 75.9% | 8.6 | 6.5 | — | 88 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 1,767 | 38.5% | — | 0.0% | 482 | 24.6% | |
Career EPA-0.6·-45 rushing · 44 receiving·-0.1/season
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | LAC | 8 | — | 13 | 37 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 4 | 30.8 | 0 | 4.7 |
| 2009 | 24 | LAC | 12 | — | 25 | 148 | 1 | 5.9 | 4.0 | 10 | 40.0 | 0 | 8.9 |
| 2010 | 25 | LAC | 15 | — | 182 | 735 | 11 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 42 | 23.1 | 3 | 14.3 |
| 2011 | 26 | LAC | 15 | — | 121 | 490 | 8 | 4.0 | 6.6 | 25 | 20.7 | 1 | 17.8 |
| 2012 | 27 | CAR | 16 | — | 54 | 183 | 7 | 3.4 | 13.0 | 24 | 44.4 | 0 | 11.7 |
| 2013 | 28 | CAR | 16 | 9* | 101 | 361 | 5 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 31 | 30.7 | 0 | 12.1 |
| 2014 | 29 | CAR | 8 | 0* | 37 | 78 | 0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 4 | 10.8 | 0 | 3.6 |
| 2015 | 30 | CAR | 16 | 0* | 62 | 256 | 1 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 18 | 29.0 | 0 | 10.4 |
| 2016 | 31 | CAR | 15 | 0* | 35 | 114 | 0 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 5 | 14.3 | 0 | 6.2 |
| 2017 | 32 | BUF | 12 | 0* | 66 | 247 | 1 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 9 | 13.6 | 1 | 5.8 |
| Career | 133 | 9* | 696 | 2,649 | 34 | 3.8 | — | 172 | — | 5 | 95.5 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | LAC | 8 | — | 13 | 13 | 171 | 1 | 100.0% | 13.2 | 13.2 | — | 7 |
| 2009 | 24 | LAC | 12 | — | 22 | 17 | 192 | 3 | 77.3% | 11.3 | 8.7 | — | 9 |
| 2010 | 25 | LAC | 15 | — | 29 | 25 | 216 | 0 | 86.2% | 8.6 | 7.4 | — | 8 |
| 2011 | 26 | LAC | 15 | — | 79 | 54 | 433 | 2 | 68.4% | 8.0 | 5.5 | — | 23 |
| 2012 | 27 | CAR | 16 | — | 39 | 27 | 268 | 0 | 69.2% | 9.9 | 6.9 | — | 13 |
| 2013 | 28 | CAR | 16 | 9* | 32 | 27 | 184 | 2 | 84.4% | 6.8 | 5.8 | — | 10 |
| 2014 | 29 | CAR | 8 | 0* | 17 | 12 | 93 | 0 | 70.6% | 7.8 | 5.5 | — | 4 |
| 2015 | 30 | CAR | 16 | 0* | 23 | 18 | 154 | 3 | 78.3% | 8.6 | 6.7 | — | 8 |
| 2016 | 31 | CAR | 15 | 0* | 15 | 10 | 72 | 1 | 66.7% | 7.2 | 4.8 | — | 4 |
| 2017 | 32 | BUF | 12 | 0* | 17 | 14 | 78 | 0 | 82.4% | 5.6 | 4.6 | — | 2 |
| Career | 133 | 9* | 286 | 217 | 1,861 | 12 | 75.9% | 8.6 | 6.5 | — | 88 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | LAC | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 25 | SEA | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 26 | NE | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 28 | TB | 2 | 2* | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 30 | TB | 1 | 0* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 31 | MIN | 1 | 0* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 32 | NYJ | 1 | 0* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 9 | 2* | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
* 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 | 28 | CAR | 16 | 9* | 598 | 58.9% | — | 0.0% | 84 | 19.8% |
| 2014 | 29 | CAR | 8 | 0* | 220 | 40.0% | — | 0.0% | 39 | 18.1% |
| 2015 | 30 | CAR | 16 | 0* | 422 | 38.5% | — | 0.0% | 108 | 22.6% |
| 2016 | 31 | CAR | 16 | 0* | 324 | 29.1% | — | 0.0% | 164 | 33.9% |
| 2017 | 32 | BUF | 12 | 0* | 203 | 25.8% | — | 0.0% | 87 | 28.4% |
| Career | 68 | 9* | 1,767 | — | — | — | 482 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Advanced (EPA)
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Rec EPA | Pass AirYd | Rec AirYd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | — | — | — | — | -4.5 | 13.7 | 0 | 17 |
| 2009 | 24 | — | — | — | — | 9.4 | 11.4 | 0 | 14 |
| 2010 | 25 | — | — | — | — | -12.8 | 11.8 | 0 | 24 |
| 2011 | 26 | — | — | — | — | -7.1 | 1.5 | 0 | 67 |
| 2012 | 27 | — | — | — | — | 8.3 | 9.0 | 0 | 26 |
| 2013 | 28 | — | — | 9* | — | -1.7 | 7.8 | 0 | -4 |
| 2014 | 29 | — | — | 0* | — | -16.6 | -4.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 30 | — | — | 0* | — | 0.1 | 7.3 | 0 | 26 |
| 2016 | 31 | — | — | 0* | — | -6.8 | -9.1 | 0 | -4 |
| 2017 | 32 | — | — | 0* | — | -13.3 | -4.6 | 0 | 41 |
| Career | 9* | — | — | — | 0 | 207 |
* 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 peak-driven profile that scores 57 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 10 scored seasons.
54
Sustained
career value
×.6
62
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×1
Longevity
career length
Blend 57.2 × longevity 1 = KV-H 57· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 54
On-field 36.4
Availability 17.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
2008bestavg 522017
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position22
Depth
of 100
Reached 21% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
21% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader21
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
-0.05 EPA/season over 10 seasons50
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: 86%.
Per-Snap Impact
Running Backs · proprietary · 2012+27
Rotational
SIS
Yards/snap0.926Touch rate0.229EPA/snap-0.023Snap share38.5%Off snaps1,767VolatileCV 0.50
Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within running backs, 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 RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
📉 Regular Season Player
Yards / Carry: 3.8 regular season → 2.9 playoffs (4 playoff seasons)
-23%
vs reg season
From Scrimmage · Career
Scrimmage Yds
4,510
2,649 rush · 1,861 recv
Total TDs
46
34 rush · 12 recv
Total Touches
913
696 carries · 217 rec
Yds / Touch
4.9
rushing + receiving
Postseason Career
7 playoff gamesRushing
Att31Yds91Y/A2.91D51D%16.1Fmb1
Receiving
Tgt9Rec5Yds45TD1Ctch%55.6%Y/R9.0Y/Tgt5.01D4
Defense
Tkl1Solo1FF1
Advanced (EPA)
Rush EPA-14.3Rec EPA3.0Rec AirYd3
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Coastal Carolina), 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
Graham GanoK5yGreg OlsenTE5yThomas DavisOLB5yCam NewtonQB5yMario AddisonDL5yJonathan StewartRB5yLuke KuechlyILB5yAntoine CasonCB5yDerek AndersonQB5yColin JonesS5yPhilip RiversQB4yAntonio GatesTE4yEric WeddleFS4yJ.J. JansenLS4yMike ScifresP4yQuentin JammerCB4yShaun PhillipsOLB4yVincent JacksonWR4yMalcom FloydWR4yDwan EdwardsDT4yA.J. KleinOLB4yStar LotuleleiDT4yJacques CesaireDE4yStephen CooperLB4y
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterMike inherited the Carolina Panthers RB room from Jonathan Stewart (2008–2017), and handed it to Fozzy Whittaker (2014–2017).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2017team change
Joined BUF (from CAR)
- 2017final season
Last recorded season with BUF
- 2012team change
Joined CAR (from LAC)
- 2008signing
Entered the NFL with LAC
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'9" / 250 lb
Frame
Injury History
3 career games missed (Out)From nflverse weekly injury reports · coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | BUF | 3 | W11Out· HamstringW12Out· HamstringW13Out· Hamstring |
| 2016 | CAR | 0 | W5Questionable· Hamstring |
| 2013 | CAR | 0 | W13Questionable· Knee |
| 2011 | SD | 0 | W8Doubtful· Hamstring / Hand |
| 2010 | SD | 0 | W13Questionable· Hand |
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 10-season peers. See all →
57
peak 62
Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season
C2008
C2009
B2010
B2011
C+2012
C+2013
C2014
C+2015
C2016
C+2017
Availability
Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 10 seasons.
84%
Era Translator
Rush 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 Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | → 2025 Rush Yds | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 37 | 4.6 | 111+74 | 6.5 |
| 2009 | 148 | 12.3 | 219+71 | 12.9 |
| 2010 | 735 | 49 | 825+90 | 48.5 |
| 2011 | 490 | 32.7 | 605+115 | 35.6 |
| 2012 | 183 | 11.4 | 268+85 | 15.7 |
| 2013 | 361 | 22.6 | 427+66 | 25.1 |
| 2014 | 78 | 9.8 | 178+100 | 10.5 |
| 2015 | 256 | 16 | 254-2 | 15 |
| 2016 | 114 | 7.6 | 81-33 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | 247 | 20.6 | 337+90 | 19.8 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), nflverse:injuries · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026
Career Value · VORP
44 career value over replacement — #2224 all-time of 4,642. 4.4/season above a replacement-level RB.
Career Profile
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