Willie Gault is a career quality starter β a receiver whose body of work places Gault in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Gault's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Willie Gault
Top 13% all-time WRsIron Man
Height6'0"
Weight178 lb
BornSep 5, 1960
Age65
CollegeTennesseeSee College Stats
Rookie yr1983
Draft1983 Β· Rd 1, Pick 18 Β· CHI
A high-end wide receiver defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 163 Β· #554 Β· High-ValueWorth 163 points of value above a freely-available replacement receiver β top 13% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 10 of 11 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16.3 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
10 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
48
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
10
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+16.3
Avg surplus
peak +25
10 seasons Γ ~16.3 surplus β VORP 163
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 | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1983 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 40 | 836 | 8 | β | 20.9 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 34 | 587 | 6 | β | 17.3 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 33 | 704 | 1 | β | 21.3 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | CHI | 16 | β | β | 42 | 818 | 5 | β | 19.5 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | CHI | 12 | β | β | 35 | 705 | 7 | β | 20.1 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | LA | 15 | β | β | 16 | 392 | 2 | β | 24.5 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | LA | 16 | β | β | 28 | 690 | 4 | β | 24.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | LA | 16 | β | β | 50 | 985 | 3 | β | 19.7 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | LA | 16 | β | β | 20 | 346 | 4 | β | 17.3 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | LA | 16 | β | β | 27 | 508 | 4 | β | 18.8 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | LA | 15 | β | β | 8 | 64 | 0 | β | 8.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 170 | β | 0 | 333 | 6,635 | 44 | β | 19.9 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 23 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 40 | 836 | 8 | β | 20.9 | β | β | β | 18.2 |
| 1984 | 24 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 34 | 587 | 6 | β | 17.3 | β | β | β | 14.3 |
| 1985 | 25 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 33 | 704 | 1 | β | 21.3 | β | β | β | 11 |
| 1986 | 26 | CHI | 16 | β | β | 42 | 818 | 5 | β | 19.5 | β | β | β | 13.1 |
| 1987 | 27 | CHI | 12 | β | β | 35 | 705 | 7 | β | 20.1 | β | β | β | 10.5 |
| 1988 | 28 | LA | 15 | β | β | 16 | 392 | 2 | β | 24.5 | β | β | β | 7.2 |
| 1989 | 29 | LA | 16 | β | β | 28 | 690 | 4 | β | 24.6 | β | β | β | 11.3 |
| 1990 | 30 | LA | 16 | β | β | 50 | 985 | 3 | β | 19.7 | β | β | β | 12.6 |
| 1991 | 31 | LA | 16 | β | β | 20 | 346 | 4 | β | 17.3 | β | β | β | 9.6 |
| 1992 | 32 | LA | 16 | β | β | 27 | 508 | 4 | β | 18.8 | β | β | β | 9.8 |
| 1993 | 33 | LA | 15 | β | β | 8 | 64 | 0 | β | 8.0 | β | β | β | 4.2 |
| Career | 170 | 0 | 333 | 6,635 | 44 | β | 19.9 | β | β | β | 121.8 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 66 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 66 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 11 scored seasons.
63
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
71
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 66.2 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 66Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 63
On-field 43.4
Availability 19.6
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1983bestavg 63elite 701993
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position29
Depth
of 100
Reached 29% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
29% of the all-time Receiving Yards leader29
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: 92%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average wide receivers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Tennessee), 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
Henry EllardWR6yTim BrownWR6yAnthony NewmanS6yJim EverettQB6yWalter PaytonRB5yDennis GentryRB5yMatt SuheyRB5yRichard DentDE5yJim McMahonQB5yRobert DelpinoFB5yAaron CoxWR5yCleveland GaryRB5yWilber MarshallOLB4yMarcus AllenRB4yFred StricklandLB4yPat CarterTE4yBuford McGeeRB4yDamone JohnsonTE4yRoman PhiferLB3yTodd LyghtCB3yPete HolohanTE3yRobert BaileyDB3yWilliam PerryDT3yMike TomczakQB3y
1983 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #18
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterWillie inherited the Las Vegas Raiders WR room from Mervyn Fernandez (1987β1992), and handed it to Tim Brown (1988β2003).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1993final season
Last recorded season with LA
- 1988team change
Joined LA (from CHI)
- 1983draft
Drafted by CHI β Round 1, Pick 18
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'0" / 178 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 11-season peers. See all β
66
peak 71
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B+1983
B1984
B1985
B1986
B1987
C+1988
B1989
B+1990
C+1991
C+1992
C1993
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 11 seasons.
Era Translator
Rec 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 Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | β 2025 Rec Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 836 | 52.3 | 926+90 | 54.5 |
| 1984 | 587 | 36.7 | 663+76 | 39 |
| 1985 | 704 | 44 | 757+53 | 44.5 |
| 1986 | 818 | 51.1 | 841+23 | 49.5 |
| 1987 | 705 | 58.8 | 954+249 | 56.1 |
| 1988 | 392 | 26.1 | 455+63 | 26.8 |
| 1989 | 690 | 43.1 | 719+29 | 42.3 |
| 1990 | 985 | 61.6 | 1,009+24 | 59.3 |
| 1991 | 346 | 21.6 | 376+30 | 22.1 |
| 1992 | 508 | 31.8 | 522+14 | 30.7 |
| 1993 | 64 | 4.3 | 97+33 | 5.7 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), 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
163 career value over replacement β #554 all-time of 4,642. 14.8/season above a replacement-level WR.
Draft OutcomeValue β
Pick #18 (Rd 1) Β· CHI Β· 1983 Β· +9.5 vs expected KV-H
66actual
56.5 expected Β· Ξ+9.5
Fan Rating
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