Rod Bernstine is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Bernstine in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Bernstine's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Rod Bernstine
Top 12% all-time RBsElite Playmaker
Height6'3"
Weight238 lb
BornFeb 8, 1965
Age61
CollegeTexas A&MSee College Stats
Rookie yr1987
Draft1987 Β· Rd 1, Pick 24 Β· SDG
A top 20% all-time running back who consistently made an impact across multiple seasons.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 98 Β· #1161 Β· High-ValueWorth 98 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 26% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +24.5 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
4 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
4
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+24.5
Avg surplus
peak +28
4 seasons Γ ~24.5 surplus β VORP 98
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 | |||||
| 1987 | β | SDG | 10 | β | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 10 | 76 | 1 | β | 7.6 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | SDG | 14 | β | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 29 | 340 | 0 | β | 11.7 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | SDG | 5 | β | 15 | 137 | 1 | 9.1 | 6.7 | β | β | β | β | 21 | 222 | 1 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | SDG | 12 | β | 124 | 589 | 4 | 4.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β | β | 8 | 40 | 0 | β | 5.0 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | SDG | 13 | β | 159 | 766 | 8 | 4.8 | 5.0 | β | β | β | β | 11 | 124 | 0 | β | 11.3 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | SDG | 9 | β | 106 | 499 | 4 | 4.7 | 3.8 | β | β | β | β | 12 | 86 | 0 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | DEN | 15 | β | 223 | 816 | 4 | 3.7 | 1.8 | β | β | β | β | 44 | 372 | 0 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | DEN | 3 | β | 17 | 91 | 0 | 5.4 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 9 | 70 | 0 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | DEN | 3 | β | 23 | 76 | 1 | 3.3 | 4.3 | β | β | β | β | 5 | 54 | 0 | β | 10.8 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 84 | β | 1,340 | 5,980 | 44 | 4.5 | 3.3 | β | β | β | β | 298 | 2,768 | 4 | β | 9.3 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 11 | 1 | 0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 11.0 | β | β | 152.1 | β | 64.5 |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 22 | SDG | 10 | β | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 23 | SDG | 14 | β | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 24 | SDG | 5 | β | 15 | 137 | 1 | 9.1 | 6.7 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 25 | SDG | 12 | β | 124 | 589 | 4 | 4.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 26 | SDG | 13 | β | 159 | 766 | 8 | 4.8 | 5.0 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 27 | SDG | 9 | β | 106 | 499 | 4 | 4.7 | 3.8 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 28 | DEN | 15 | β | 223 | 816 | 4 | 3.7 | 1.8 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 29 | DEN | 3 | β | 17 | 91 | 0 | 5.4 | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 30 | DEN | 3 | β | 23 | 76 | 1 | 3.3 | 4.3 | β | β | β |
| Career | 84 | 1,340 | 5,980 | 44 | 4.5 | β | β | β | β |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 22 | SDG | 10 | β | β | 10 | 76 | 1 | β | 7.6 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 23 | SDG | 14 | β | β | 29 | 340 | 0 | β | 11.7 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 24 | SDG | 5 | β | β | 21 | 222 | 1 | β | 10.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 25 | SDG | 12 | β | β | 8 | 40 | 0 | β | 5.0 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 26 | SDG | 13 | β | β | 11 | 124 | 0 | β | 11.3 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | 27 | SDG | 9 | β | β | 12 | 86 | 0 | β | 7.2 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 28 | DEN | 15 | β | β | 44 | 372 | 0 | β | 8.5 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 29 | DEN | 3 | β | β | 9 | 70 | 0 | β | 7.8 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 30 | DEN | 3 | β | β | 5 | 54 | 0 | β | 10.8 | β | β | β |
| Career | 84 | β | 298 | 2,768 | 4 | β | 9.3 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
63
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
76
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68.2 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 95%
What builds the career mark of 63
On-field 48.1
Availability 14.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1987bestavg 60elite 701993
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position36
Depth
of 100
Reached 33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader33
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: 93%.
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
8,748
5,980 rush Β· 2,768 recv
Total TDs
48
44 rush Β· 4 recv
Total Touches
1,638
1,340 carries Β· 298 rec
Yds / Touch
5.3
rushing + receiving
Postseason Career
Rushing
Att2Yds6Y/A3.0
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Texas A&M), 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
Leslie O'NealDE5yMarion ButtsRB4yJunior SeauLB3yJason ElamK3yJohn ElwayQB3yShannon SharpeTE3yRonnie HarmonRB3ySteve AtwaterFS3yShane DronettDT3yTom RouenP3yRonnie BradfordFS3yQuinn EarlyWR3yElijah AlexanderOLB3yGlyn MilburnWR3yDavid WymanMLB3yDerrick WalkerTE3yRay CrockettCB2yTyrone BraxtonS2yShawn JeffersonWR2yVance JohnsonWR2yAllen AldridgeOLB2yMike PritchardWR2yHarald HasselbachDE2yDerek RussellWR2y
1987 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #24
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterRod inherited the Los Angeles Chargers RB room from Tim Spencer (1985β1989), and handed it to Marion Butts (1989β1993).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1995final season
Last recorded season with DEN
- 1993team change
Joined DEN (from SDG)
- 1987draft
Drafted by SDG β Round 1, Pick 24
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'3" / 238 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 7-season peers. See all β
68
peak 76
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C1987
C1988
D1989
B+1990
B+1991
B+1992
B+1993
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 9 seasons.
59%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 9 | 0.9 | 134+125 | 7.9 |
| 1988 | 7 | 0.5 | 123+116 | 7.2 |
| 1989 | 137 | 27.4 | 742+605 | 43.7 |
| 1990 | 589 | 49.1 | 1,290+701 | 75.9 |
| 1991 | 766 | 58.9 | 1,494+728 | 87.9 |
| 1992 | 499 | 55.4 | 1,374+875 | 80.8 |
| 1993 | 816 | 54.4 | 1,362+546 | 80.1 |
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
98 career value over replacement β #1161 all-time of 4,642. 14/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #24 (Rd 1) Β· SDG Β· 1987 Β· +11.5 vs expected KV-H
68actual
56.5 expected Β· Ξ+11.5
Fan Rating
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