Rudi Johnson packed more value into his peak seasons than almost any running back in NFL history — a comet career that burned brightest when it mattered most. His KV-H peak of 78 is historically rare; while longevity was not his calling card, the impact of his best seasons is undeniable.

RBDET#32ACT

Rudi Johnson

1× Pro BowlTop 8% all-time RBsIron Man🌅 Early Bloomer · 2004

Height5'10"

Weight225 lb

BornOct 1, 1979

Age46

CollegeAuburn; Butler County JC See College Stats

Rookie yr2001

Draft2001 · Rd 4, Pick 100 · CIN

All-Time Rank & Honors

career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context

Regular-season all-time ranks

96thRushing Touchdowns·49

Pro Bowls

Archetype Intelligence

Iron ManExplore archetypes →

A high-end running back defined as much by excellent availability over their career as by their on-field impact (top 10% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.

Career Value · VORP

VORP 113 · #953 · High-Value

Worth 113 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back — top 22% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 6 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +18.8 on average.See board →

Seasons above replacement

6 cleared

Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit

Replacement

the KC-H bar

→

Seasons over

cleared the bar

+18.8

Avg surplus

peak +29

6 seasons × ~18.8 surplus ≈ VORP 113

Combined Season Grid

The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.

4 grids split in one view

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Rushing								Receiving									Defense													Advanced (EPA)
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	TD	Sfty	Pass EPA	Rush EPA	Rec EPA	Pass AirYd	Rec AirYd
2002	—	CIN	4	—	17	67	0	3.9	0.0	6	35.3	0	10	6	34	0	60.0%	5.7	3.4	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2002	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1.7	-2.2	0	0
2003	—	CIN	13	—	214	967	9	4.5	4.2	48	22.4	0	21	21	146	0	100.0%	7.0	7.0	—	8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2003	—	ARI	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2003	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3.8	6.3	0	0
2004	—	CIN	16	—	362	1,457	12	4.0	3.3	73	20.2	4	15	15	84	0	100.0%	5.6	5.6	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	-44.0	1.0	0	0
2005	—	CIN	16	—	337	1,458	12	4.3	3.6	79	23.4	0	23	23	90	0	100.0%	3.9	3.9	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	11.7	-5.7	0	0
2006	—	CIN	16	—	341	1,308	12	3.8	3.5	67	19.6	2	23	23	124	0	100.0%	5.4	5.4	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	-25.4	3.7	0	12
2007	—	CIN	11	—	170	497	3	2.9	1.8	26	15.3	2	13	13	110	1	100.0%	8.5	8.5	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	-37.9	6.8	0	-12
2008	—	DET	13	—	76	237	1	3.1	1.3	11	14.5	0	12	12	88	1	100.0%	7.3	7.3	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	ATL	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2008	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	-13.8	3.2	0	16
Career		—	91	—	1,517	5,991	49	3.9	3.2	310	20.4	8	117	113	676	2	96.6%	6.0	5.8	—	25	2	2	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0	—	-103.8	13.1	0	16

Career EPA-90.7·-104 rushing · 13 receiving·-13.0/season

Rushing

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	TD%	1D	1D%	Fmb	VAL
2002	23	CIN	4	—	17	67	0	3.9	0.0	6	35.3	0	2
2003	24	CIN	13	—	214	967	9	4.5	4.2	48	22.4	0	13.6
2004	25	CIN	16	—	362	1,457	12	4.0	3.3	73	20.2	4	15.3
2005	26	CIN	16	—	337	1,458	12	4.3	3.6	79	23.4	0	15.8
2006	27	CIN	16	—	341	1,308	12	3.8	3.5	67	19.6	2	15.9
2007	28	CIN	11	—	170	497	3	2.9	1.8	26	15.3	2	8.3
2008	29	DET	13	—	76	237	1	3.1	1.3	11	14.5	0	7
Career			89		1,517	5,991	49	3.9	—	310	—	8	77.9

Receiving

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Ctch%	Y/R	Y/Tgt	AirYd/T	1D
2002	23	CIN	4	—	10	6	34	0	60.0%	5.7	3.4	—	2
2003	24	CIN	13	—	21	21	146	0	100.0%	7.0	7.0	—	8
2004	25	CIN	16	—	15	15	84	0	100.0%	5.6	5.6	—	2
2005	26	CIN	16	—	23	23	90	0	100.0%	3.9	3.9	—	2
2006	27	CIN	16	—	23	23	124	0	100.0%	5.4	5.4	—	4
2007	28	CIN	11	—	13	13	110	1	100.0%	8.5	8.5	—	3
2008	29	DET	13	—	12	12	88	1	100.0%	7.3	7.3	—	4
Career			89		117	113	676	2	96.6%	6.0	5.8	—	25

Advanced (EPA)

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Pass EPA	Rush EPA	Rec EPA	Rec AirYd
2002	23	—	—	—	—	1.7	-2.2	0
2003	24	—	—	—	—	3.8	6.3	0
2004	25	—	—	—	—	-44.0	1.0	0
2005	26	—	—	—	—	11.7	-5.7	0
2006	27	—	—	—	—	-25.4	3.7	12
2007	28	—	—	—	—	-37.9	6.8	-12
2008	29	—	—	—	—	-13.8	3.2	16
Career					—	—	—	16

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 72 · Great

A great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 72 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 7 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 72 × longevity 1 = KV-H 72· confidence 93%

What builds the career mark of 68

On-field 50.6

Availability 17.4

On-field production Staying available

Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)

2002bestavg 62elite 702008

All-Time Standing

how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position

Depth

of 100

Reached 33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.

33% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader33

2 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader67

-12.96 EPA/season over 7 seasons46

A 0–100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data — career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence — so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite ≥ 85 · Strong ≥ 65 · Solid ≥ 45 · Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 88%.

Career Aging Trajectory

vs. position group average · KV-H basis

Amber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).

Combine · 2001

Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.

RB · 2001 class

4.57s

40-Yard

Below avg · 43th pct

Pos 43thAll 64thClass Pos 41thClass All 67th

37.5"

Vertical

Strong · 82th pct

Pos 82thAll 84thClass Pos 71thClass All 76th

119"

Broad Jump

Above avg · 51th pct

Pos 51thAll 60thClass Pos 67thClass All 69th

24 reps

Bench

Strong · 80th pct

Pos 80thAll 69thClass Pos 77thClass All 70th

7.32s

3-Cone

Low · 16th pct

Pos 16thAll 36thClass Pos 39thClass All 47th

4.22s

Shuttle

Above avg · 57th pct

Pos 57thAll 69thClass Pos 50thClass All 57th

From Scrimmage · Career

Scrimmage Yds

6,667

5,991 rush · 676 recv

Total TDs

49 rush · 2 recv

Total Touches

1,630

1,517 carries · 113 rec

Yds / Touch

4.1

rushing + receiving

Postseason Career

1 playoff game

Rushing

Att13Yds56TD1Y/A4.3TD%7.71D21D%15.4

Receiving

Tgt2Rec2Yds14Ctch%100.0%Y/R7.0Y/Tgt7.01D1

Advanced (EPA)

Rush EPA-0.2Rec EPA1.0

College Stats

Auburn; Butler County JCCollege listed; stat table pending import

College stats are not imported for this profile yet.

StatVault has the verified college attribution (Auburn; Butler County JC), 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 — every name is linked.

2001 Draft Class· this player went #100

#91Cory BirdS #92Casey RabachC #93Willie BladeDT #94James BoydDB #95Jonas JenningsOT #97Anthony HenryCB #98Bill GramaticaK #99Roberto GarzaC #101Jamie HendersonDB #102Matt StewartLB #103Karon RileyLB #104Orlando HuffOLB #106Chris WeinkeQB #107Monty BeiselLB #108George LayneRB #109Sage RosenfelsQB

Franchise Succession

the room, before and after

Rudi inherited the Cincinnati Bengals RB room from Brandon Bennett (1998–2003), and handed it to Jeremi Johnson (2003–2009).

Larry Kinnebrew 1983–1987Stanford Jennings 1984–1990James Brooks 1984–1991Ickey Woods 1988–1991Craig Taylor 1989–1991Eric Ball

Similar Players

Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).

Movementderived from season history

2008team change
Joined DET (from CIN)
2008final season
Last recorded season with DET
2001draft
Drafted by CIN — Round 4, Pick 100

Athletic & Unique Profile

verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts

5'10" / 225 lb

Frame

227 lb at 4.57s

Size-speed

37.5" vert / 119" broad

Explosion

24 reps

Bench power

Knox

StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works →

Historical Knox · KV-H

Era-normalized career quality — z-scored against 7-season peers. See all →

peak 78

Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season

F2002

B+2003

B+2004

B+2005

B+2006

C+2007

C+2008

Availability

Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 7 seasons.

89%

Era Translator

Rush Yds translated to the 2025NFL — 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	→ 2025 Rush Yds	→ 2025 /G
2002	67	16.8	400+333	23.5
2003	967	74.4	1,188+221	69.9
2004	1,457	91.1	1,387-70	81.6
2005	1,458	91.1	1,375-83	80.9
2006	1,308	81.8	1,193-115	70.2
2007	497	45.2	699+202	41.1
2008	237	18.2	308+71	18.1

Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), espn.com:stats-api (facts-only reference) · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026

Career Value · VORP

113 career value over replacement — #953 all-time of 4,642. 16.1/season above a replacement-level RB.

Career Profile

5 top-10 seasonstop-10 marks Comet68% in top 3 yrs 2-phase playertwo-way

Draft OutcomeSteal ↑

Pick #100 (Rd 4) · CIN · 2001 · +33.3 vs expected KV-H

72actual

38.7 expected · Δ+33.3

Fan Rating

Rate Rudi Johnson — All-Time

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Rudi Johnson

All-Time Rank & Honors

Archetype Intelligence

Career Value · VORP

Combined Season Grid

Rushing

Receiving

Advanced (EPA)

KV-H Anatomy

All-Time Standing

Career Aging Trajectory

Combine · 2001

From Scrimmage · Career

Postseason Career

Rushing

Receiving

Advanced (EPA)

College Stats

Reference Graph

Top Teammates

2001 Draft Class· this player went #100

Franchise Succession

Similar Players

Movementderived from season history

Athletic & Unique Profile

Knox

Era Translator