Steve Johnson is a career quality starter — a receiver whose body of work places Johnson in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Johnson's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Steve Johnson
Height6'2"
Weight207 lb
BornJul 22, 1986
Age40
ConferenceSoutheastern
Rookie yr2008
Draft2008 · Rd 7, Pick 224 · BUF
Career Value · VORP
VORP 103 · #1068 · High-ValueWorth 103 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver — top 24% of all 4,612 ranked at the position. 6 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +17.2 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
6 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
6
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+17.2
Avg surplus
peak +26
6 seasons × ~17.2 surplus ≈ VORP 103
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping. Switch to Combined to fold the selected families into unified totals—yards from scrimmage, total TDs, touches.
4 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | Rushing | Defense | Snap Counts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2008 | — | BUF | 7 | — | 10 | 10 | 102 | 2 | 100.0% | 10.2 | 10.2 | — | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | — | BUF | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 66.7% | 5.0 | 3.3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | — | BUF | 16 | — | 142 | 82 | 1,073 | 10 | 57.7% | 13.1 | 7.6 | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | — | BUF | 16 | — | 134 | 76 | 1,004 | 7 | 56.7% | 13.2 | 7.5 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | BUF | 16 | — | 148 | 79 | 1,046 | 6 | 53.4% | 13.2 | 7.1 | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | BUF | 12 | — | 101 | 52 | 597 | 3 | 51.5% | 11.5 | 5.9 | — | 33 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 701 | 80.1% | 1 | 0.1% | — | 0.0% |
| 2014 | — | SF | 13 | — | 50 | 35 | 435 | 3 | 70.0% | 12.4 | 8.7 | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 292 | 34.7% | — | 0.0% | 3 | 0.8% |
| 2015 | — | SD | 9 | — | 65 | 45 | 497 | 3 | 69.2% | 11.0 | 7.6 | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 590 | 83.5% | — | 0.0% | 1 | 0.3% |
| Career | — | 92 | — | 653 | 381 | 4,764 | 34 | 58.3% | 12.5 | 7.3 | — | 254 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1,583 | 64.2% | 1 | 0.0% | 4 | 0.4% | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 22 | BUF | 7 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 27 | BUF | 12 | 10* | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 |
| Career | 19 | 10* | 2 | 16 | 0 | 8.0 | — | 1 | — | 0 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 22 | BUF | 7 | — | 10 | 10 | 102 | 2 | 100.0% | 10.2 | 10.2 | — | 9 |
| 2009 | 23 | BUF | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 66.7% | 5.0 | 3.3 | — | 1 |
| 2010 | 24 | BUF | 16 | — | 142 | 82 | 1,073 | 10 | 57.7% | 13.1 | 7.6 | — | 61 |
| 2011 | 25 | BUF | 16 | — | 134 | 76 | 1,004 | 7 | 56.7% | 13.2 | 7.5 | — | 45 |
| 2012 | 26 | BUF | 16 | — | 148 | 79 | 1,046 | 6 | 53.4% | 13.2 | 7.1 | — | 52 |
| 2013 | 27 | BUF | 12 | 10* | 101 | 52 | 597 | 3 | 51.5% | 11.5 | 5.9 | — | 33 |
| 2014 | 28 | SF | 13 | 0* | 50 | 35 | 435 | 3 | 70.0% | 12.4 | 8.7 | — | 24 |
| 2015 | 29 | SD | 9 | 8* | 65 | 45 | 497 | 3 | 69.2% | 11.0 | 7.6 | — | 29 |
| Career | 92 | 18* | 653 | 381 | 4,764 | 34 | 58.3% | 12.5 | 7.3 | — | 254 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Defense
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 27 | BUF | 12 | 10* | 701 | 80.1% | 1 | 0.1% | — | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 28 | SF | 13 | 0* | 292 | 34.7% | — | 0.0% | 3 | 0.8% |
| 2015 | 29 | SD | 10 | 8* | 590 | 83.5% | — | 0.0% | 1 | 0.3% |
| Career | 35 | 18* | 1,583 | — | 1 | — | 4 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 67 · Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 67 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
64
Sustained
career value
×.6
73
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×1
Longevity
career length
Blend 67.6 × longevity 1 = KV-H 67· confidence 98%
What builds the career mark of 64
On-field 47
Availability 17
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
2008bestavg 60elite 702015
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position23
Depth
of 100
Reached 25% of the all-time Receptions leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
25% of the all-time Receptions leader25
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
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: 93%.
Per-Snap Impact
Wide Receivers · proprietary · 2012+49
Solid
SIS
Yards/snap0.972Touch rate0.137EPA/snap0Snap share66.1%Off snaps1,583ReliableCV 0.29
Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within wide receivers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · 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+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Kentucky; Chabot College), 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.
Top Teammates
Kyle WilliamsDT6yFred JacksonRB6yLeodis McKelvinCB6yChris KelsayDE5yBryan ScottLB5yJairus ByrdDB5ySpencer JohnsonDT5yTerrence McGeeCB5yGeorge WilsonS5yCorey McIntyreFB5yRyan FitzpatrickQB4yC.J. SpillerRB4yArthur MoatsDE4yScott ChandlerTE4yRoscoe ParrishWR4yAlex CarringtonDE4yReggie CornerDB4yBrian MoormanP4yDonte WhitnerS3yMarshawn LynchRB3yDrayton FlorenceCB3yPaul PoslusznyMLB3yMarcus StroudDE3yLee EvansWR3y
2008 Draft Class· this player went #224
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2015team change
Joined SD (from SF)
- 2015final season
Last recorded season with SD
- 2014team change
Joined SF (from BUF)
- 2008draft
Drafted by BUF — Round 7, Pick 224
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'2" / 207 lb
Frame
Era Translator
Rec 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 Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | → 2025 Rec Yds | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 102 | 14.6 | 32-70 | 1.9 |
| 2010 | 1,073 | 67.1 | 1,054-19 | 62 |
| 2011 | 1,004 | 62.8 | 983-21 | 57.8 |
| 2012 | 1,046 | 65.4 | 1,007-39 | 59.2 |
| 2013 | 597 | 49.8 | 740+143 | 43.5 |
| 2014 | 435 | 33.5 | 445+10 | 26.2 |
| 2015 | 497 | 55.2 | 830+333 | 48.8 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:draft_picks · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 7/31/2026
Career Value · VORP
103 career value over replacement — #1068 all-time of 4,612. 14.7/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeSteal ↑
Pick #224 (Rd 7) · BUF · 2008 · +48.2 vs expected KV-H
67actual
18.8 expected · Δ+48.2
Fan Rating
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