Neal Anderson ranks in the all-time elite tier for running backs β a career that places Anderson in the top 3% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Anderson a career score of 84, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Neal Anderson
Height5'11"
Weight210 lb
BornAug 14, 1964
Age61
CollegeFloridaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1986
Draft1986 Β· Rd 1, Pick 27 Β· CHI
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextRegular-season all-time ranks
4x
Pro Bowls
An all-time caliber running back (top 5% all-time) who combined elite production with exceptional availability β almost never missed time. Iron Legends define eras β they show up, every game, for years on end.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 211 Β· #341 Β· EliteWorth 211 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 8% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 8 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +26.4 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
8 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
8
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+26.4
Avg surplus
peak +42
8 seasons Γ ~26.4 surplus β VORP 211
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
2 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1986 | β | CHI | 14 | β | 35 | 146 | 0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 4 | 80 | 1 | β | 20.0 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | CHI | 11 | β | 129 | 586 | 3 | 4.5 | 2.3 | β | β | β | β | 47 | 467 | 3 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | CHI | 16 | β | 249 | 1,106 | 12 | 4.4 | 4.8 | β | β | β | β | 39 | 371 | 0 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | CHI | 16 | β | 274 | 1,275 | 11 | 4.7 | 4.0 | β | β | β | β | 50 | 434 | 4 | β | 8.7 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | CHI | 15 | β | 260 | 1,078 | 10 | 4.1 | 3.8 | β | β | β | β | 42 | 484 | 3 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | CHI | 13 | β | 210 | 747 | 6 | 3.6 | 2.9 | β | β | β | β | 47 | 368 | 3 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | CHI | 16 | β | 156 | 582 | 5 | 3.7 | 3.2 | β | β | β | β | 42 | 399 | 6 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | CHI | 15 | β | 202 | 646 | 4 | 3.2 | 2.0 | β | β | β | β | 31 | 160 | 0 | β | 5.2 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 116 | β | 1,515 | 6,166 | 51 | 4.1 | 3.4 | β | β | β | 0 | 302 | 2,763 | 20 | β | 9.1 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 22 | CHI | 14 | β | 35 | 146 | 0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 7.3 |
| 1987 | 23 | CHI | 11 | β | 129 | 586 | 3 | 4.5 | 2.3 | β | β | β | 13.1 |
| 1988 | 24 | CHI | 16 | β | 249 | 1,106 | 12 | 4.4 | 4.8 | β | β | β | 19.5 |
| 1989 | 25 | CHI | 16 | β | 274 | 1,275 | 11 | 4.7 | 4.0 | β | β | β | 26.2 |
| 1990 | 26 | CHI | 15 | β | 260 | 1,078 | 10 | 4.1 | 3.8 | β | β | β | 23.4 |
| 1991 | 27 | CHI | 13 | β | 210 | 747 | 6 | 3.6 | 2.9 | β | β | β | 16.9 |
| 1992 | 28 | CHI | 16 | β | 156 | 582 | 5 | 3.7 | 3.2 | β | β | β | 17.8 |
| 1993 | 29 | CHI | 15 | β | 202 | 646 | 4 | 3.2 | 2.0 | β | β | β | 12.2 |
| Career | 116 | 1,515 | 6,166 | 51 | 4.1 | β | β | β | β | 136.4 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 22 | CHI | 14 | β | β | 4 | 80 | 1 | β | 20.0 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 23 | CHI | 11 | β | β | 47 | 467 | 3 | β | 9.9 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 24 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 39 | 371 | 0 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 25 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 50 | 434 | 4 | β | 8.7 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 26 | CHI | 15 | β | β | 42 | 484 | 3 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 27 | CHI | 13 | β | β | 47 | 368 | 3 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 28 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 42 | 399 | 6 | β | 9.5 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 29 | CHI | 15 | β | β | 31 | 160 | 0 | β | 5.2 | β | β | β |
| Career | 116 | 0 | 302 | 2,763 | 20 | β | 9.1 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 84 Β· GreatA great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 84 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
77
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
89
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 81.8 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 84Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 77
On-field 58.5
Availability 18.5
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1986bestavg 76elite 701993
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position37
Depth
of 100
Reached 34% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
34% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader34
2 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader67
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: 94%.
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
8,929
6,166 rush Β· 2,763 recv
Total TDs
71
51 rush Β· 20 recv
Total Touches
1,817
1,515 carries Β· 302 rec
Yds / Touch
4.9
rushing + receiving
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Florida), 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
William PerryDT8yRichard DentDE8yJim HarbaughQB7yDennis GentryRB7yWendell DavisWR6yGlen KozlowskiWR6yRon MorrisWR6yTrace ArmstrongDE5yMike TomczakQB5yBrad MusterFB5yCap BosoTE5yMatt SuheyRB4yMaury BufordP4yJim ThorntonTE4yThomas SandersRB4yMark GreenRB4yPeter Tom WillisQB4yJim McMahonQB3yKeith JenningsTE3yDarren LewisRB3yChris GardockiP2yWalter PaytonRB2yWilber MarshallOLB2yWillie GaultWR2y
1986 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #27
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterNeal inherited the Chicago Bears RB room from Thomas Sanders (1985β1989), and handed it to Brad Muster (1988β1992).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1993final season
Last recorded season with CHI
- 1986draft
Drafted by CHI β Round 1, Pick 27
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'11" / 210 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
84
peak 89
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1986
B+1987
A1988
A+1989
A1990
B+1991
B+1992
B+1993
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
91%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 146 | 10.4 | 313+167 | 18.4 |
| 1987 | 586 | 53.3 | 1,292+706 | 76 |
| 1988 | 1,106 | 69.1 | 1,711+605 | 100.6 |
| 1989 | 1,275 | 79.7 | 1,922+647 | 113.1 |
| 1990 | 1,078 | 71.9 | 1,820+742 | 107.1 |
| 1991 | 747 | 57.5 | 1,461+714 | 85.9 |
| 1992 | 582 | 36.4 | 965+383 | 56.8 |
| 1993 | 646 | 43.1 | 1,122+476 | 66 |
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
211 career value over replacement β #341 all-time of 4,642. 26.4/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #27 (Rd 1) Β· CHI Β· 1986 Β· +29.1 vs expected KV-H
84actual
54.9 expected Β· Ξ+29.1
Fan Rating
Rate Neal Anderson β All-Time
Tap a star to rate
Explore More
Similar Players