Will Heller
Solid Contributor📉 Fades · -12% playoffs
A tight end with a developmental — a rotational or backup contributor who filled their role reliably.
Career Value · VORP
VORP 9 · #3709 · Role PlayerWorth 9 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end — top 81% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 1 of 6 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +9 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
5 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
1
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+9
Avg surplus
peak +9
1 seasons × ~9 surplus ≈ VORP 9
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping.
3 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | Defense | Advanced (EPA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||
| 2003 | — | TB | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 100.0% | 7.5 | 7.5 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | — | TB | 8 | — | 12 | 12 | 98 | 1 | 100.0% | 8.2 | 8.2 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6.3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | — | MIA | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | — | SEA | 2 | — | 4 | 4 | 32 | 1 | 100.0% | 8.0 | 8.0 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | — | ARI | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.2 | 0 | 23 |
| 2007 | — | SEA | 8 | — | 14 | 13 | 82 | 3 | 92.9% | 6.3 | 5.9 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7.1 | 0 | 35 |
| 2008 | — | SEA | 3 | — | 4 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 100.0% | 7.3 | 7.3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | -2.3 | 0 | 19 |
| 2009 | — | DET | 16 | — | 50 | 29 | 296 | 3 | 58.0% | 10.2 | 5.9 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | -5.0 | 0 | 363 |
| 2010 | — | DET | 4 | — | 5 | 4 | 37 | 1 | 80.0% | 9.3 | 7.4 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.6 | 0 | 10 |
| 2011 | — | DET | 9 | — | 13 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 46.2% | 7.0 | 3.2 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | -9.6 | 0 | 42 |
| 2012 | — | DET | 10 | — | 23 | 17 | 150 | 1 | 73.9% | 8.8 | 6.5 | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | GB | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.4 | 0 | 95 |
| Career | — | 65 | — | 128 | 92 | 782 | 12 | 71.9% | 8.5 | 6.1 | — | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10.7 | 0 | 587 | |
Career EPA10.7·11 receiving·1.1/season
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 22 | TB | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 100.0% | 7.5 | 7.5 | — | 2 | — |
| 2004 | 23 | TB | 8 | — | 12 | 12 | 98 | 1 | 100.0% | 8.2 | 8.2 | — | 5 | 2.6 |
| 2005 | 24 | MIA | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | — |
| 2006 | 25 | SEA | 2 | — | 4 | 4 | 32 | 1 | 100.0% | 8.0 | 8.0 | — | 2 | — |
| 2007 | 26 | SEA | 8 | — | 14 | 13 | 82 | 3 | 92.9% | 6.3 | 5.9 | — | 5 | 4.3 |
| 2008 | 27 | SEA | 3 | — | 4 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 100.0% | 7.3 | 7.3 | — | 1 | — |
| 2009 | 28 | DET | 16 | — | 50 | 29 | 296 | 3 | 58.0% | 10.2 | 5.9 | — | 17 | 9.6 |
| 2010 | 29 | DET | 4 | — | 5 | 4 | 37 | 1 | 80.0% | 9.3 | 7.4 | — | 1 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | 30 | DET | 9 | — | 13 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 46.2% | 7.0 | 3.2 | — | 3 | 2.6 |
| 2012 | 31 | DET | 10 | — | 23 | 17 | 150 | 1 | 73.9% | 8.8 | 6.5 | — | 9 | 4.6 |
| Career | 63 | 128 | 92 | 782 | 12 | 71.9% | 8.5 | 6.1 | — | 46 | 25.8 |
Advanced (EPA)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 45 · SolidA solid career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 45 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 6 scored seasons.
43
Sustained
career value
×.6
47
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×1
Longevity
career length
Blend 44.6 × longevity 1 = KV-H 45· confidence 92%
What builds the career mark of 43
On-field 30.1
Availability 12.9
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
2004bestavg 392012
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position10
Depth
of 100
Reached 6% of the all-time Receiving Touchdowns leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
6% of the all-time Receiving Touchdowns leader6
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
1.07 EPA/season over 10 seasons50
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: 90%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
📉 Regular Season Player
Yards / Reception: 8.5 regular season → 7.5 playoffs (2 playoff seasons)
-12%
vs reg season
Postseason Career
2 playoff gamesReceiving
Tgt4Rec4Yds30TD1Ctch%100.0%Y/R7.5Y/Tgt7.51D1
Advanced (EPA)
Rec EPA3.0Rec AirYd18
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Georgia Tech), 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
Nate BurlesonWR6yMaurice MorrisRB6yJulian PetersonOLB5yMatthew StaffordQB4yCalvin JohnsonWR4yCliff AvrilDE4yDeandre LevyOLB4yChartric DarbyDT4yBrandon PettigrewTE4ySammie Lee HillNT4yLouis DelmasFS4yLawrence JacksonDE4yAndre FluellenDT4yNdamukong SuhNT3yMatt HasselbeckQB3yBobby EngramWR3yDeion BranchWR3yRocky BernardDT3yDarryl TappDE3yKyle Vanden BoschDE3yNick HarrisP3yMarcus TrufantCB3yBryant JohnsonWR3yJordan BabineauxS3y
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterWill inherited the Detroit Lions TE room from Casey Fitzsimmons (2003–2009), and handed it to Brandon Pettigrew (2009–2015).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2012final season
Last recorded season with DET
- 2009team change
Joined DET (from SEA)
- 2006team change
Joined SEA (from MIA)
- 2005team change
Joined MIA (from TB)
- 2003signing
Entered the NFL with TB
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'6" / 275 lb
Frame
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 6-season peers. See all →
45
peak 47
Season Report Cards· KV-H era-normalized per season
C2004
D2007
C+2009
F2010
D2011
C2012
Availability
Career durability — games played vs. scheduled, across 10 seasons.
57%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 98 | 12.3 | 177+79 | 10.4 |
| 2007 | 82 | 10.3 | 162+80 | 9.5 |
| 2009 | 296 | 18.5 | 298+2 | 17.5 |
| 2010 | 37 | 9.3 | 153+116 | 9 |
| 2011 | 42 | 4.7 | 89+47 | 5.2 |
| 2012 | 150 | 15 | 246+96 | 14.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:advanced-epa (CC-BY 4.0) · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 6/18/2026
Career Value · VORP
9 career value over replacement — #3709 all-time of 4,642. 1.5/season above a replacement-level TE.
Fan Rating
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