Ricky Nattiel is a career quality starter β a receiver whose body of work places Nattiel in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Nattiel's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Ricky Nattiel
Height5'9"
Weight180 lb
BornJan 25, 1966
Age60
CollegeFloridaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1987
Draft1987 Β· Rd 1, Pick 27 Β· DEN
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextPostseason all-time ranks
A wide receiver with a top 30% among starters β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (excellent availability over their career) added to their value.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 41 Β· #2308 Β· Above AverageWorth 41 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 51% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 5 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +10.3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
4 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
4
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+10.3
Avg surplus
peak +17
4 seasons Γ ~10.3 surplus β VORP 41
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 | |||||
| 1987 | β | DEN | 12 | β | β | 31 | 630 | 2 | β | 20.3 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | DEN | 15 | β | β | 46 | 574 | 1 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | DEN | 8 | β | β | 10 | 183 | 1 | β | 18.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | DEN | 15 | β | β | 18 | 297 | 2 | β | 16.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | DEN | 16 | β | β | 16 | 288 | 2 | β | 18.0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | DEN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 66 | β | β | 242 | 3,944 | 16 | β | 16.3 | β | β | β | |
Passing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | TD% | Int% | Y/A | AdjY/A | TD:INT | Rate | Sk | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | β | β | 39.6 | β | 34.3 |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 7 | 64 | 0 | 9.1 | β | β | β | β |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 21 | DEN | 12 | β | β | 31 | 630 | 2 | β | 20.3 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 22 | DEN | 15 | β | β | 46 | 574 | 1 | β | 12.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 23 | DEN | 8 | β | β | 10 | 183 | 1 | β | 18.3 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 24 | DEN | 15 | β | β | 18 | 297 | 2 | β | 16.5 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 25 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 16 | 288 | 2 | β | 18.0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 26 | DEN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 66 | β | 242 | 3,944 | 16 | β | 16.3 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 58 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 58 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 5 scored seasons.
56
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
60
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 57.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 58Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 56
On-field 38.6
Availability 17.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1987bestavg 561991
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position15
Depth
of 100
Reached 17% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
17% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader17
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%.
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: 16.3 regular season β 19.3 playoffs (3 playoff seasons)
+18%
vs reg season
Postseason Career
Receiving
Rec26Yds502TD4Y/R19.3
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
John ElwayQB5yMike HoranP5yMark JacksonWR5yClarence KayTE5yVance JohnsonWR5yGary KubiakQB5ySteve SewellRB5yTyrone BraxtonS4ySammy WinderRB4yOrson MobleyTE4ySteve AtwaterFS3yMike YoungWR3yShannon SharpeTE2yGerald WillhiteRB2yMel BrattonFB2yKeith TraylorNT1yCharles DimryCB1yGene LangRB1yDerek RussellWR1yReggie JohnsonTE1yBob PerrymanRB1yGaston GreenRB1yRalph GiacomarroP1yKerry PorterFB1y
1987 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #27
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterRicky inherited the Denver Broncos WR room from Mark Jackson (1986β1992), and handed it to Mike Young (1989β1992).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1992final season
Last recorded season with DEN
- 1987draft
Drafted by DEN β Round 1, Pick 27
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'9" / 180 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 5-season peers. See all β
58
peak 60
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1987
B1988
C1989
C+1990
C+1991
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 5 seasons.
84%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 630 | 52.5 | 859+229 | 50.5 |
| 1988 | 574 | 38.3 | 640+66 | 37.7 |
| 1989 | 183 | 22.9 | 407+224 | 24 |
| 1990 | 297 | 19.8 | 348+51 | 20.4 |
| 1991 | 288 | 18 | 320+32 | 18.8 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
41 career value over replacement β #2308 all-time of 4,642. 8.2/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #27 (Rd 1) Β· DEN Β· 1987 Β· +3.1 vs expected KV-H
58actual
54.9 expected Β· Ξ+3.1
Fan Rating
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