Mike Young is a career quality starter β a receiver whose body of work places Young in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Young's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Mike Young
Height6'1"
Weight187 lb
BornFeb 21, 1962
Age64
CollegeUCLASee College Stats
Rookie yr1985
Draft1985 Β· Rd 6, Pick 161 Β· RAM
A quality wide receiver with a above-average career β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 38 Β· #2399 Β· Role PlayerWorth 38 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 53% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 5 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +7.6 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+7.6
Avg surplus
peak +15
5 seasons Γ ~7.6 surplus β VORP 38
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1985 | β | RAM | 15 | β | β | 14 | 157 | 0 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | RAM | 16 | β | β | 15 | 181 | 3 | β | 12.1 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | RAM | 12 | β | β | 4 | 56 | 1 | β | 14.0 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | RAM | 8 | β | β | 2 | 27 | 0 | β | 13.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | DEN | 16 | β | β | 22 | 402 | 2 | β | 18.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | DEN | 16 | β | β | 28 | 385 | 4 | β | 13.8 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | DEN | 16 | β | β | 44 | 629 | 2 | β | 14.3 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | DEN | 3 | β | β | 1 | 11 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | PHI | 10 | β | β | 14 | 186 | 2 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | KAN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 112 | β | 0 | 144 | 2,034 | 14 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 23 | RAM | 15 | β | β | 14 | 157 | 0 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β | 6.4 |
| 1986 | 24 | RAM | 16 | β | β | 15 | 181 | 3 | β | 12.1 | β | β | β | 8 |
| 1987 | 25 | RAM | 12 | β | β | 4 | 56 | 1 | β | 14.0 | β | β | β | 3.5 |
| 1988 | 26 | RAM | 8 | β | β | 2 | 27 | 0 | β | 13.5 | β | β | β | 1.9 |
| 1989 | 27 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 22 | 402 | 2 | β | 18.3 | β | β | β | 8.2 |
| 1990 | 28 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 28 | 385 | 4 | β | 13.8 | β | β | β | 9.8 |
| 1991 | 29 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 44 | 629 | 2 | β | 14.3 | β | β | β | 9.5 |
| 1992 | 30 | DEN | 3 | β | β | 1 | 11 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 31 | PHI | 10 | β | β | 14 | 186 | 2 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β | 5.1 |
| 1994 | 32 | KAN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β | β |
| Career | 112 | 0 | 144 | 2,034 | 14 | β | 14.1 | β | β | β | 52.4 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 55 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 55 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
52
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
59
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 54.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 55Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 52
On-field 34.1
Availability 17.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1985bestavg 511993
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position8
Depth
of 100
Reached 9% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
9% of the all-time Receptions leader9
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: 92%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average wide receivers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
π Playoff Performer
Yards / Reception: 14.1 regular season β 23.2 playoffs (4 playoff seasons)
+64%
vs reg season
Postseason Career
Receiving
Rec11Yds255TD1Y/R23.2
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (UCLA), 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
Henry EllardWR4yJohn ElwayQB4yMike HoranP4yTyrone BraxtonS4yMarcus AllenRB4ySteve AtwaterFS4yMark JacksonWR4yClarence KayTE4yVance JohnsonWR4yCharles WhiteRB4yMike GumanRB4yDale HatcherP4yShannon SharpeTE3yEric DickersonRB3yJim EverettQB3yGary KubiakQB3ySteve SewellRB3yRicky NattielWR3yGaston GreenRB3yKeith TraylorNT2yCharles DimryCB2ySammy WinderRB2yBarry ReddenRB2yBuford McGeeRB2y
1985 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #161
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterMike inherited the Denver Broncos WR room from Ricky Nattiel (1987β1992), and handed it to Derek Russell (1991β1994).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1994team change
Joined KAN (from PHI)
- 1994final season
Last recorded season with KAN
- 1993team change
Joined PHI (from DEN)
- 1989team change
Joined DEN (from RAM)
- 1985draft
Drafted by RAM β Round 6, Pick 161
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 187 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 8-season peers. See all β
55
peak 59
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1985
C+1986
C1987
D1988
C+1989
C+1990
B1991
C1993
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 9 seasons.
78%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 157 | 10.5 | 251+94 | 14.8 |
| 1986 | 181 | 11.3 | 241+60 | 14.2 |
| 1987 | 56 | 4.7 | 135+79 | 7.9 |
| 1988 | 27 | 3.4 | 108+81 | 6.4 |
| 1989 | 402 | 25.1 | 442+40 | 26 |
| 1990 | 385 | 24.1 | 415+30 | 24.4 |
| 1991 | 629 | 39.3 | 647+18 | 38.1 |
| 1993 | 186 | 18.6 | 314+128 | 18.5 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), 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
38 career value over replacement β #2399 all-time of 4,642. 4.8/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #161 (Rd 6) Β· RAM Β· 1985 Β· +23.1 vs expected KV-H
55actual
31.9 expected Β· Ξ+23.1
Fan Rating
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