Steve Sewell is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Sewell in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Sewell's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Steve Sewell
Top 35% all-time RBsReliable Starter
Height6'3"
Weight210 lb
BornApr 2, 1963
Age63
CollegeOklahomaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1985
Draft1985 Β· Rd 1, Pick 26 Β· DEN
A running back with a above-average career 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 23 Β· #2988 Β· Role PlayerWorth 23 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 65% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 4 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +5.8 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
+5.8
Avg surplus
peak +8
4 seasons Γ ~5.8 surplus β VORP 23
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 | |||||
| 1985 | β | DEN | 16 | β | 81 | 275 | 4 | 3.4 | 4.9 | β | β | β | β | 24 | 224 | 1 | β | 9.3 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | DEN | 11 | β | 23 | 123 | 1 | 5.3 | 4.3 | β | β | β | β | 23 | 294 | 1 | β | 12.8 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | DEN | 7 | β | 19 | 83 | 2 | 4.4 | 10.5 | β | β | β | β | 13 | 209 | 1 | β | 16.1 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | DEN | 16 | β | 32 | 135 | 1 | 4.2 | 3.1 | β | β | β | β | 38 | 507 | 5 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | DEN | 16 | β | 7 | 44 | 0 | 6.3 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 25 | 416 | 3 | β | 16.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | DEN | 12 | β | 17 | 46 | 3 | 2.7 | 17.6 | β | β | β | β | 26 | 268 | 0 | β | 10.3 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | DEN | 16 | β | 50 | 211 | 2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | β | β | β | β | 38 | 436 | 2 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 94 | β | 229 | 917 | 13 | 4.0 | 5.7 | β | β | β | 0 | 187 | 2,354 | 13 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22 | DEN | 16 | β | 81 | 275 | 4 | 3.4 | 4.9 | β | β | β | 10.4 |
| 1986 | 23 | DEN | 11 | β | 23 | 123 | 1 | 5.3 | 4.3 | β | β | β | 8.1 |
| 1987 | 24 | DEN | 7 | β | 19 | 83 | 2 | 4.4 | 10.5 | β | β | β | 5.9 |
| 1988 | 25 | DEN | 16 | β | 32 | 135 | 1 | 4.2 | 3.1 | β | β | β | 12.8 |
| 1989 | 26 | DEN | 16 | β | 7 | 44 | 0 | 6.3 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 12 |
| 1990 | 27 | DEN | 12 | β | 17 | 46 | 3 | 2.7 | 17.6 | β | β | β | 8.8 |
| 1991 | 28 | DEN | 16 | β | 50 | 211 | 2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | β | β | β | 13.2 |
| Career | 94 | 229 | 917 | 13 | 4.0 | β | β | β | β | 71.2 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 24 | 224 | 1 | β | 9.3 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | 23 | DEN | 11 | β | β | 23 | 294 | 1 | β | 12.8 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 24 | DEN | 7 | β | β | 13 | 209 | 1 | β | 16.1 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 25 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 38 | 507 | 5 | β | 13.3 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | 26 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 25 | 416 | 3 | β | 16.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | 27 | DEN | 12 | β | β | 26 | 268 | 0 | β | 10.3 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | 28 | DEN | 16 | β | β | 38 | 436 | 2 | β | 11.5 | β | β | β |
| Career | 94 | 0 | 187 | 2,354 | 13 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 54 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 54 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
53
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
57
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 54.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 54Β· confidence 98%
What builds the career mark of 53
On-field 35.3
Availability 17.7
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1985bestavg 511991
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position11
Depth
of 100
Reached 12% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
12% of the all-time Receptions leader12
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: 84%.
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+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
π Consistent
Yards / Carry: 4.0 regular season β 3.6 playoffs (4 playoff seasons)
-10%
vs reg season
From Scrimmage Β· Career
Scrimmage Yds
3,271
917 rush Β· 2,354 recv
Total TDs
26
13 rush Β· 13 recv
Total Touches
416
229 carries Β· 187 rec
Yds / Touch
7.9
rushing + receiving
Postseason Career
Rushing
Att26Yds94TD1Y/A3.6TD%3.8
Receiving
Rec31Yds375Y/R12.1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Oklahoma), 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 ElwayQB7yClarence KayTE7yVance JohnsonWR7yGary KubiakQB7yMike HoranP6yMark JacksonWR6ySammy WinderRB6yRicky NattielWR5yOrson MobleyTE5yTyrone BraxtonS4yGerald WillhiteRB4ySteve AtwaterFS3yMike YoungWR3yGene LangRB3yShannon SharpeTE2yClint SampsonWR2yMel BrattonFB2yKeith TraylorNT1yCharles DimryCB1yDerek RussellWR1yReggie JohnsonTE1yBob PerrymanRB1yGaston GreenRB1yRalph GiacomarroP1y
1985 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #26
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterSteve inherited the Denver Broncos RB room from Gene Lang (1984β1987), and handed it to Mel Bratton (1989β1990).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1991final season
Last recorded season with DEN
- 1985draft
Drafted by DEN β Round 1, Pick 26
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'3" / 210 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
54
peak 57
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1985
C1986
C1987
C+1988
C+1989
C1990
C+1991
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 7 seasons.
85%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 275 | 17.2 | 444+169 | 26.1 |
| 1986 | 123 | 11.2 | 328+205 | 19.3 |
| 1987 | 83 | 11.9 | 376+293 | 22.1 |
| 1988 | 135 | 8.4 | 306+171 | 18 |
| 1989 | 44 | 2.8 | 186+142 | 10.9 |
| 1990 | 46 | 3.8 | 236+190 | 13.9 |
| 1991 | 211 | 13.2 | 458+247 | 26.9 |
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
23 career value over replacement β #2988 all-time of 4,642. 3.3/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeMiss β
Pick #26 (Rd 1) Β· DEN Β· 1985 Β· -0.9 vs expected KV-H
54actual
54.9 expected Β· Ξβ0.9
Fan Rating
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