Also in other sports:mlbWill Smith (P Β· 2012β2024), mlbWill Smith (C Β· 2019βpresent), nhlWill Smith (C Β· 2025βpresent).
Will Smith is a career quality starter β a linebacker whose body of work places Smith in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Smith's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Will Smith
1Γ Pro BowlTop 32% all-time linebackersReliable StarterβοΈ Sustained Machine Β· 2012Team Carrier Β· #422
Height6'3"
Weight282 lb
BornJul 4, 1981
Age45
CollegeOhio StateSee College Stats
Rookie yr2004
Draft2004 Β· Rd 1, Pick 18 Β· NO
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title context1x
Pro Bowls
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 39 Β· #2374 Β· Role PlayerWorth 39 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker β top 52% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 8 of 9 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +4.9 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
8 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
8
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+4.9
Avg surplus
peak +9
8 seasons Γ ~4.9 surplus β VORP 39
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 2004 | β | NO | 15 | β | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | β | NO | 16 | β | 46 | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | β | NO | 14 | β | 41 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 10.0 | 26.0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | β | NO | 15 | β | 52 | 32 | 20 | 0 | 19 | 6.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | β | NO | 16 | β | 49 | 31 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | β | NO | 16 | β | 39 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 13.5 | 51.5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | β | NO | 15 | β | 28 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 5.5 | 23.5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | β | NO | 14 | β | 35 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 6.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | β | NO | 16 | β | 55 | 30 | 25 | 10 | 19 | 6.0 | 35.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 137 | β | 379 | 247 | 132 | 48 | 108 | 67.0 | 223.0 | 2 | 26 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 1 | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 23 | NO | 15 | β | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| 2005 | 24 | NO | 16 | β | 46 | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| 2006 | 25 | NO | 14 | β | 41 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 10.0 | 26.0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 |
| 2007 | 26 | NO | 15 | β | 52 | 32 | 20 | 0 | 19 | 6.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 |
| 2008 | 27 | NO | 16 | β | 49 | 31 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 8.7 |
| 2009 | 28 | NO | 16 | β | 39 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 13.5 | 51.5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | β | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2010 | 29 | NO | 15 | β | 28 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 5.5 | 23.5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 10.3 |
| 2011 | 30 | NO | 14 | β | 35 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 6.5 | 25.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 | 9.9 |
| 2012 | 31 | NO | 16 | β | 55 | 30 | 25 | 10 | 19 | 6.0 | 35.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| Career | 137 | 379 | 247 | 132 | 48 | 108 | β | β | 2 | 26 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 95.1 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 53 Β· SolidA solid career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 53 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 9 scored seasons.
51
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
55
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 52.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 53Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 51
On-field 32
Availability 19
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
2004bestavg 512012
Team Carrier Evidence
Ranked #422 of 600 by seasons where high individual production happened on low-win teams. Score aggregates only tracked StatVault categories.
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position34
Depth
of 100
Reached 34% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
34% of the all-time Sacks leader34
1 category β₯25% of the all-time leader33
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: 93%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine Β· 2004
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.60s
40-Yard
Above avg Β· 73th pct
Pos 73thAll 58thClass Pos 65thClass All 62th
Postseason Career
8 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl18Solo16Ast2QBHits7Dis7.0Int1PD2FF1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Ohio State), 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
Devery HendersonWR8yDrew BreesQB7yRoman HarperS7yMarques ColstonWR7yLance MooreWR7yScott ShanleOLB7yMike McKenzieCB6yCharles GrantDE6yPierre ThomasRB6yJohn CarneyK5yReggie BushRB5yJonathan VilmaOLB5yBrian YoungDT5yDeuce McAllisterRB5yAaron SteckerRB5yMike KarneyFB5ySedrick EllisDT5yThomas MorsteadP4yMalcolm JenkinsS4yScott FujitaOLB4yFred ThomasCB4yJason CraftDB4yJabari GreerCB4yRobert MeachemWR4y
2004 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #18
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2012final season
Last recorded season with NO
- 2004draft
Drafted by NO β Round 1, Pick 18
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'3" / 282 lb
Frame
275 lb at 4.60s
Size-speed
Injury History
From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | NO | 0 | W5QuestionableΒ· GroinW6QuestionableΒ· Groin |
Era Translator
Tackles 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 Tackles | Tackles/G | β 2025 Tackles | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 34 | 2.3 | 12-22 | 0.7 |
| 2005 | 46 | 2.9 | 27-19 | 1.6 |
| 2006 | 41 | 2.9 | 29-12 | 1.7 |
| 2007 | 52 | 3.5 | 42-10 | 2.5 |
| 2008 | 49 | 3.1 | 35-14 | 2 |
| 2009 | 39 | 2.4 | 26-13 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 28 | 1.9 | 18-10 | 1.1 |
| 2011 | 35 | 2.5 | 30-5 | 1.8 |
| 2012 | 55 | 3.4 | 44-11 | 2.6 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
39 career value over replacement β #2374 all-time of 4,642. 4.3/season above a replacement-level LB.
Career Profile
Draft OutcomeMiss β
Pick #18 (Rd 1) Β· NO Β· 2004 Β· -3.5 vs expected KV-H
53actual
56.5 expected Β· Ξβ3.5
Fan Rating
Rate Will Smith β All-Time
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