William Gay is a career quality starter β a defensive back whose body of work places Gay in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Gay's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
William Gay
Height5'10"
Weight187 lb
BornJan 1, 1985
Age41
CollegeLouisvilleSee College Stats
Rookie yr2007
Draft2007 Β· Rd 5, Pick 170 Β· PIT
A defensive back with a above-average career β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (exceptional availability β almost never missed time) added to their value.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 79 Β· #1450 Β· Above AverageWorth 79 points of value above a freely-available replacement safety β top 32% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 8 of 11 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +9.9 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
8 cleared
3 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
8
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+9.9
Avg surplus
peak +19
8 seasons Γ ~9.9 surplus β VORP 79
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 | Defense | Snap Counts | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% | |||||
| 2007 | β | PIT | 8 | β | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2008 | β | PIT | 14 | β | 27 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2009 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 68 | 59 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2010 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 37 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2011 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 57 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2012 | β | ARI | 15 | β | 55 | 43 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | β | β | β | β | β | β |
| 2013 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 60 | 52 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | β | 1 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 910 | 84.1% | 120 | 25.3% |
| 2014 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 59 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | β | 3 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 860 | 87.8% | 129 | 27.8% |
| 2015 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 55 | 43 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | β | 1 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 1,065 | 95.7% | 63 | 14.1% |
| 2016 | β | PIT | 14 | β | 50 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 846 | 81.1% | 35 | 12.6% |
| 2017 | β | PIT | 11 | β | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 266 | 26.9% | β | 0.0% |
| Career | β | 156 | β | 493 | 397 | 96 | 31 | 12 | 7.5 | 50.5 | 13 | 87 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | β | 0.0% | 3,947 | 75.1% | 347 | 19.9% | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22 | PIT | 8 | β | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 |
| 2008 | 23 | PIT | 14 | β | 27 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 24 | PIT | 15 | β | 68 | 59 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 7.9 |
| 2010 | 25 | PIT | 15 | β | 37 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 7.2 |
| 2011 | 26 | PIT | 16 | β | 57 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 |
| 2012 | 27 | ARI | 15 | β | 55 | 43 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 |
| 2013 | 28 | PIT | 16 | 13* | 60 | 52 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | β | 1 | 0 | 9.8 |
| 2014 | 29 | PIT | 16 | 14* | 59 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | β | 3 | 0 | 11.5 |
| 2015 | 30 | PIT | 16 | 15* | 55 | 43 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | β | 1 | 0 | 8.8 |
| 2016 | 31 | PIT | 14 | 13* | 50 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 | 7.2 |
| 2017 | 32 | PIT | 11 | 0* | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | β | 0 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Career | 156 | 55* | 493 | 397 | 96 | 31 | 12 | β | β | 13 | 87 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 83.3 |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 28 | PIT | 16 | 13* | β | 0.0% | 910 | 84.1% | 120 | 25.3% |
| 2014 | 29 | PIT | 16 | 14* | β | 0.0% | 860 | 87.8% | 129 | 27.8% |
| 2015 | 30 | PIT | 16 | 15* | β | 0.0% | 1,065 | 95.7% | 63 | 14.1% |
| 2016 | 31 | PIT | 16 | 13* | β | 0.0% | 846 | 81.1% | 35 | 12.6% |
| 2017 | 32 | PIT | 16 | 0* | β | 0.0% | 266 | 26.9% | β | 0.0% |
| Career | 80 | 55* | β | β | 3,947 | β | 347 | β |
* GS not available from free sources β SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
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 int/g peers across 11 scored seasons.
54
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
63
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 57.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 58Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 54
On-field 35.8
Availability 18.2
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative int/g)
2007bestavg 532017
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position5
Depth
of 100
Reached 6% of the all-time Interceptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
6% of the all-time Interceptions leader6
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: 91%.
Per-Snap Impact
Defensive Backs Β· proprietary Β· 2012+56
Above average
SIS
Disruption/1001.799Snap share75.1%Def snaps3,947ConsistentCV 0.15
Production per snap β the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within defensive backs, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average defensive backs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
11 playoff gamesDefense
Tkl32Solo27Ast5TFL1Dis1.0PD6FR1TD1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Louisville), 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
Ben RoethlisbergerQB10yJames HarrisonOLB9yLawrence TimmonsOLB9yHeath MillerTE8yIke TaylorCB7yTroy PolamaluS7yAntonio BrownWR7yBrett KeiselDE7yMatt SpaethTE7yCameron HeywardDE6yRyan ClarkFS6yLaMarr WoodleyOLB6yJames FarriorILB5yHines WardWR5yLarry FooteMLB5yCasey HamptonNT5yAaron SmithDE5ySteve McLendonNT5yDavid DeCastroG5yRamon FosterG5yLe'Veon BellRB5yVince WilliamsILB5yWill AllenS5yNick EasonDE5y
2007 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #170
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterWilliam inherited the Pittsburgh Steelers DB room from Ryan Clark (2006β2013), and handed it to Keenan Lewis (2009β2012).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2017final season
Last recorded season with PIT
- 2013team change
Joined PIT (from ARI)
- 2012team change
Joined ARI (from PIT)
- 2007draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 5, Pick 170
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'10" / 187 lb
Frame
Injury History
From nflverse weekly injury reports Β· coverage begins 2009.
| Season | Team | Games Out | Designations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | PIT | 0 | W9QuestionableΒ· Foot |
| 2009 | PIT | 0 | W14QuestionableΒ· Head |
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 11-season peers. See all β
58
peak 63
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
D2007
C+2008
C2009
C2010
B2011
B2012
C+2013
B2014
B2015
C+2016
C+2017
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 11 seasons.
Era Translator
INT 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 INT | INT/G | β 2025 INT | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0.1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 2 | 0.1 | 1-1 | 0.1 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0.1 | 1-1 | 0.1 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0.1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0.2 | 2-1 | 0.1 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0.1 | 1-1 | 0.1 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.1 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:injuries Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
79 career value over replacement β #1450 all-time of 4,642. 7.2/season above a replacement-level S.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #170 (Rd 5) Β· PIT Β· 2007 Β· +30.8 vs expected KV-H
58actual
27.2 expected Β· Ξ+30.8
Fan Rating
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