Phillip Merling
Role Playerβ Shooting Star Β· 2008
Height6'5"
Weight315 lb
BornApr 19, 1985
Age41
CollegeClemsonSee College Stats
Rookie yr2008
Draft2008 Β· Rd 2, Pick 32 Β· MIA
A edge rusher who contributed in a defined role. Their developmental reflects a career built on specific contributions rather than volume.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 6 Β· #3878 Β· Role PlayerWorth 6 points of value above a freely-available replacement edge rusher β top 85% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 2 of 3 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
2 cleared
1 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
51
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
2
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+3
Avg surplus
peak +4
2 seasons Γ ~3 surplus β VORP 6
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 | Defense | Snap Counts | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2008 | β | MIA | 14 | β | 22 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2009 | β | MIA | 14 | β | 26 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 6.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2010 | β | MIA | 2 | β | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2011 | β | MIA | 6 | β | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2012 | β | GB | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2013 | β | WAS | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 41 | 19.3% | 6 | 10.0% |
| Career | β | 40 | β | 59 | 41 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 3.5 | 15.5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 41 | 19.3% | 6 | 10.0% | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | MIA | 14 | β | 22 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8.2 |
| 2009 | 24 | MIA | 14 | β | 26 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 6.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 |
| 2010 | 25 | MIA | 2 | β | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2011 | 26 | MIA | 6 | β | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1.7 |
| 2012 | 27 | GB | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| 2013 | 28 | WAS | 2 | β | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β |
| Career | 40 | 59 | 41 | 18 | 4 | 8 | β | β | 1 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16.6 |
Snap Counts
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 41 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a remarkably steady profile that scores 41 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 3 scored seasons, with a short career trimming the score.
49
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
45
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ0.86
Longevity
career length
Blend 47.4 Γ longevity 0.86 = KV-H 41Β· confidence 92%
What builds the career mark of 49
On-field 33.7
Availability 15.3
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
2008bestavg 452011
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position2
Depth
of 100
Reached 2% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
2% of the all-time Sacks leader2
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: 93%.
Per-Snap Impact
Edge Rushers Β· proprietary Β· 2012+β
below snap floor
Disruption/1000Snap share19.3%Def snaps41Emerging
Production per snap β the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within edge rushers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average edge rushers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2008
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.73s
40-Yard
Above avg Β· 59th pct
Pos 59thAll 41thClass Pos 64thClass All 41th
17 reps
Bench
Low Β· 6th pct
Pos 6thAll 27thClass Pos 11thClass All 22th
Postseason Career
1 playoff gameDefense
Tkl2Solo1Ast1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Clemson), 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
Randy StarksDE4yAnthony FasanoTE4yDan CarpenterK4yYeremiah BellS4yKendall LangfordDE4yPaul SoliaiDE4yBrandon FieldsP4yDavone BessWR4yChad HenneQB4yTyrone CulverDB4ySean SmithCB3yRonnie BrownRB3yCameron WakeLB3yTony McDanielDT3yVontae DavisCB3yBrian HartlineWR3yChad PenningtonQB3yChanning CrowderILB3yLousaka PoliteFB3yChris ClemonsDB3yPatrick CobbsRB3yLex HilliardFB3yQuentin MosesLB3yRyan BakerDE3y
2008 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #32
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterPhillip inherited the Miami Dolphins DL room from Kendall Langford (2008β2011), and handed it to Randy Starks (2008β2014).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2013team change
Joined WAS (from GB)
- 2013final season
Last recorded season with WAS
- 2012team change
Joined GB (from MIA)
- 2008draft
Drafted by MIA β Round 2, Pick 32
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'5" / 315 lb
Frame
276 lb at 4.73s
Size-speed
17 reps
Bench power
Injury History
No game-status injuries on record since 2009 (nflverse weekly reports).
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 3-season peers. See all β
41
peak 45
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+2008
C+2009
F2011
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 6 seasons.
43%
Era Translator
Sacks 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 Sacks | Sacks/G | β 2025 Sacks | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 | 0.1 | 3+1 | 0.1 |
| 2009 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2+0.5 | 0.1 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
6 career value over replacement β #3878 all-time of 4,642. 2/season above a replacement-level EDGE.
Draft OutcomeMiss β
Pick #32 (Rd 2) Β· MIA Β· 2008 Β· -13.9 vs expected KV-H
41actual
54.9 expected Β· Ξβ13.9
Fan Rating
Rate Phillip Merling β All-Time
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