Tommy Vardell is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Vardell in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Vardell's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Tommy Vardell
Top 27% all-time RBsHigh-End Starter
Height6'1"
Weight238 lb
BornFeb 20, 1969
Age57
CollegeStanfordSee College Stats
Rookie yr1992
Draft1992 Β· Rd 1, Pick 9 Β· CLE
A quality running back with a top 30% among starters β a legitimate starter who contributed meaningfully across their career.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 51 Β· #2031 Β· Above AverageWorth 51 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 45% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 5 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +10.2 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+10.2
Avg surplus
peak +22
5 seasons Γ ~10.2 surplus β VORP 51
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Advanced (EPA) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Rec EPA | Pass AirYd | Rec AirYd | |||||
| 1992 | β | CLE | 14 | β | 99 | 369 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 13 | 128 | 0 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | CLE | 16 | β | 171 | 644 | 3 | 3.8 | 1.8 | β | β | β | β | 19 | 151 | 1 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | CLE | 5 | β | 15 | 48 | 0 | 3.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 16 | 137 | 1 | β | 8.6 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1995 | β | CLE | 5 | β | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 6 | 18 | 0 | β | 3.0 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1996 | β | SF | 11 | β | 58 | 192 | 2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | β | β | β | β | 28 | 179 | 0 | β | 6.4 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1997 | β | DET | 16 | β | 32 | 122 | 6 | 3.8 | 18.8 | β | β | β | β | 16 | 218 | 0 | β | 13.6 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1998 | β | DET | 14 | β | 18 | 37 | 6 | 2.1 | 33.3 | β | β | β | β | 14 | 143 | 1 | β | 10.2 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1999 | β | SF | 5 | β | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 16.7 | 2 | 33.3 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 63.6% | 5.1 | 3.3 | β | 1 | β | β | β | β | β |
| 1999 | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | β | -1.3 | -3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 86 | β | 403 | 1,427 | 18 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 11 | 119 | 1,010 | 3 | 1081.8% | 8.5 | 91.8 | β | 1 | β | -1.3 | -3.6 | 0 | 0 | |
Career EPA-4.8Β·-1 rushing Β· -4 receivingΒ·-4.8/season
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 23 | CLE | 14 | β | 99 | 369 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 8 |
| 1993 | 24 | CLE | 16 | β | 171 | 644 | 3 | 3.8 | 1.8 | β | β | β | 12.8 |
| 1994 | 25 | CLE | 5 | β | 15 | 48 | 0 | 3.2 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 4 |
| 1995 | 26 | CLE | 5 | β | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 2.4 |
| 1996 | 27 | SF | 11 | β | 58 | 192 | 2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | β | β | β | 7.5 |
| 1997 | 28 | DET | 16 | β | 32 | 122 | 6 | 3.8 | 18.8 | β | β | β | 12.5 |
| 1998 | 29 | DET | 14 | β | 18 | 37 | 6 | 2.1 | 33.3 | β | β | β | 12 |
| 1999 | 30 | SF | 5 | β | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 16.7 | 2 | 33.3 | 0 | 2.6 |
| Career | 86 | 403 | 1,427 | 18 | 3.5 | β | 2 | β | 0 | 61.8 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 23 | CLE | 14 | β | β | 13 | 128 | 0 | β | 9.8 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | 24 | CLE | 16 | β | β | 19 | 151 | 1 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | 25 | CLE | 5 | β | β | 16 | 137 | 1 | β | 8.6 | β | β | β |
| 1995 | 26 | CLE | 5 | β | β | 6 | 18 | 0 | β | 3.0 | β | β | β |
| 1996 | 27 | SF | 11 | β | β | 28 | 179 | 0 | β | 6.4 | β | β | β |
| 1997 | 28 | DET | 16 | β | β | 16 | 218 | 0 | β | 13.6 | β | β | β |
| 1998 | 29 | DET | 14 | β | β | 14 | 143 | 1 | β | 10.2 | β | β | β |
| 1999 | 30 | SF | 5 | β | 11 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 63.6% | 5.1 | 3.3 | β | 1 |
| Career | 86 | 11 | 119 | 1,010 | 3 | 1081.8% | 8.5 | 91.8 | β | 1 |
Advanced (EPA)
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Pass EPA | Rush EPA | Rec EPA | Pass AirYd | Rec AirYd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 30 | β | β | β | β | -1.3 | -3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | β | β | 0 | 0 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 58 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 58 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
55
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
64
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 58.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 58Β· confidence 86%
What builds the career mark of 55
On-field 39.3
Availability 15.7
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1992bestavg 48elite 701999
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position14
Depth
of 100
Reached 11% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
11% of the all-time Rushing Touchdowns leader11
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
-4.84 EPA/season over 1 season48
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: 88%.
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
2,437
1,427 rush Β· 1,010 recv
Total TDs
21
18 rush Β· 3 recv
Total Touches
522
403 carries Β· 119 rec
Yds / Touch
4.7
rushing + receiving
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Stanford), 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
Matt StoverK4yKeenan McCardellWR4yRob BurnettDE4yAnthony PleasantDE4yStevon MooreDB4yMichael JacksonWR4yEric TurnerFS4yLeroy HoardRB4yRico SmithWR4yVinny TestaverdeQB3yEric MetcalfWR3yMike CaldwellLB3yGerald DixonOLB3yBrian KinchenTE3yBill JohnsonDT3yLouis RiddickDB3yRandy BaldwinRB3yJerry RiceWR2yBrian HansenP2yEarnest BynerRB2yTerrell OwensWR2yBryant YoungDT2yKen NortonMLB2yRobert PorcherDE2y
1992 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #9
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterTommy inherited the Cleveland Browns RB room from Randy Baldwin (1992β1994), and handed it to Terry Kirby (1999).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1999team change
Joined SF (from DET)
- 1999final season
Last recorded season with SF
- 1997team change
Joined DET (from SF)
- 1996team change
Joined SF (from CLE)
- 1992draft
Drafted by CLE β Round 1, Pick 9
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 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 8-season peers. See all β
58
peak 64
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B1992
B+1993
F1994
F1995
C+1996
C+1997
C+1998
F1999
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
67%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 369 | 26.4 | 751+382 | 44.2 |
| 1993 | 644 | 40.3 | 1,062+418 | 62.5 |
| 1994 | 48 | 9.6 | 438+390 | 25.7 |
| 1995 | 9 | 1.8 | 302+293 | 17.8 |
| 1996 | 192 | 17.5 | 630+438 | 37.1 |
| 1997 | 122 | 7.6 | 413+291 | 24.3 |
| 1998 | 37 | 2.6 | 307+270 | 18.1 |
| 1999 | 6 | 1.2 | 285+279 | 16.7 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0), wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (facts-only reference), 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
51 career value over replacement β #2031 all-time of 4,642. 6.4/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeMiss β
Pick #9 (Rd 1) Β· CLE Β· 1992 Β· -2.4 vs expected KV-H
58actual
60.4 expected Β· Ξβ2.4
Fan Rating
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