Willie Young is a career quality starter — a pass rusher whose body of work places Young in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Young's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Willie Young
Top 11% all-time pass rushersElite Playmaker
Height6'4"
Weight258 lb
BornSep 19, 1985
Age40
CollegeN.C. StateSee College Stats
Rookie yr2010
Draft2010 · Rd 7, Pick 213 · DET
Career Value · VORP
VORP 116 · #903 · High-ValueWorth 116 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker — top 21% of all 4,612 ranked at the position. 5 of 7 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +23.2 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
2 replaced
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it — adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
→
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
×
+23.2
Avg surplus
peak +38
5 seasons × ~23.2 surplus ≈ VORP 116
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at once—no tab hopping. Switch to Combined to fold the selected families into unified totals—yards from scrimmage, total TDs, touches.
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% | |||||
| 2011 | — | DET | 11 | — | 14 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | DET | 10 | — | 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | DET | 16 | — | 44 | 26 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 773 | 74.9% | 82 | 16.8% |
| 2014 | — | CHI | 15 | — | 38 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10.0 | 32.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 664 | 68.2% | 75 | 18.1% |
| 2015 | — | CHI | 14 | — | 27 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 6.5 | 32.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 523 | 52.9% | 37 | 8.9% |
| 2016 | — | CHI | 16 | — | 37 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 7.5 | 24.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 714 | 66.4% | 32 | 7.3% |
| 2017 | — | CHI | 4 | — | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 119 | 48.0% | 1 | 1.0% |
| Career | — | 86 | — | 177 | 113 | 64 | 44 | 57 | 32.0 | 133.0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0% | 2,793 | 64.7% | 227 | 12.1% | |
Defense
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | DET | 11 | — | 14 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 27 | DET | 10 | — | 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 28 | DET | 16 | 12* | 44 | 26 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 29 | CHI | 15 | 10* | 38 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10.0 | 32.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 30 | CHI | 14 | 8* | 27 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 6.5 | 32.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 31 | CHI | 16 | 11* | 37 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 7.5 | 24.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 32 | CHI | 4 | 0* | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 86 | 41* | 177 | 113 | 64 | 44 | 57 | — | — | 1 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
Snap Counts
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Off | Off% | Def | Def% | ST | ST% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 28 | DET | 16 | 12* | — | 0.0% | 773 | 74.9% | 82 | 16.8% |
| 2014 | 29 | CHI | 15 | 10* | — | 0.0% | 664 | 68.2% | 75 | 18.1% |
| 2015 | 30 | CHI | 15 | 8* | — | 0.0% | 523 | 52.9% | 37 | 8.9% |
| 2016 | 31 | CHI | 16 | 11* | — | 0.0% | 714 | 66.4% | 32 | 7.3% |
| 2017 | 32 | CHI | 4 | 0* | — | 0.0% | 119 | 48.0% | 1 | 1.0% |
| Career | 66 | 41* | — | — | 2,793 | — | 227 | — |
* GS not available from free sources — SG* estimated from snap share (nflverse 2012+)
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 71 · GreatA great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 71 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 7 scored seasons.
66
Sustained
career value
×.6
78
Peak
best 3 seasons
×.4
×1
Longevity
career length
Blend 70.8 × longevity 1 = KV-H 71· confidence 93%
What builds the career mark of 66
On-field 49
Availability 17
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative sacks/g)
2011bestavg 61elite 702017
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position14
Depth
of 100
Reached 16% of the all-time Sacks leader — a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
16% of the all-time Sacks leader16
0 categories ≥25% of the all-time leader0
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: 94%.
Per-Snap Impact
Edge Rushers · proprietary · 2012+61
Above average
SIS
Disruption/1004.69Snap share62.1%Def snaps2,793ReliableCV 0.28
Production per snap — the box score normalized by opportunity. SIS is z-scored within edge rushers, shrinkage-regularized so small samples don't spike, over the NFL snap-count era (2012+).
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average · KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 32. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Combine · 2010
Percentiles compare each raw measurement against position peers, the full combine pool, and the same draft class where enough samples exist.
4.88s
40-Yard
Below avg · 28th pct
Pos 28thAll 30thClass Pos 27thClass All 28th
38"
Vertical
Strong · 89th pct
Pos 89thAll 88thClass Pos 93thClass All 87th
118"
Broad Jump
Above avg · 61th pct
Pos 61thAll 57thClass Pos 78thClass All 70th
25 reps
Bench
Above avg · 62th pct
Pos 62thAll 74thClass Pos 50thClass All 70th
7.24s
3-Cone
Above avg · 53th pct
Pos 53thAll 45thClass Pos 33thClass All 36th
4.56s
Shuttle
Low · 18th pct
Pos 18thAll 25thClass Pos 45thClass All 31th
Postseason Career
1 playoff gameDefense
Tkl2Solo1Ast1Sk1.0Dis1.0FF1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (N.C. 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 — every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Charles Leno Jr.OT4yPat O'DonnellP4yChristian JonesOLB4yLamarr HoustonLB4yKyle LongG4yJosh BellamyWR4ySherrick McManisDB4yMatthew StaffordQB3yNdamukong SuhNT3yJay CutlerQB3yStephen TullochOLB3yCalvin JohnsonWR3yAdrian AmosS3yNate BurlesonWR3yPernell McPheeLB3yAlshon JefferyWR3yKyle FullerCB3yChris HoustonCB3yTony SchefflerTE3yDeandre LevyOLB3ySam AchoLB3yEddie GoldmanNT3yBrandon PettigrewTE3yLouis DelmasFS3y
2010 Draft Class· this player went #213
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0–100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2017final season
Last recorded season with CHI
- 2014team change
Joined CHI (from DET)
- 2010draft
Drafted by DET — Round 7, Pick 213
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'4" / 258 lb
Frame
251 lb at 4.88s
Size-speed
38" vert / 118" broad
Explosion
25 reps
Bench power
Era Translator
Sacks 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 Sacks | Sacks/G | → 2025 Sacks | → 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 | 0.3 | 4+1 | 0.3 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 3 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.2 |
| 2014 | 10 | 0.7 | 10 | 0.6 |
| 2015 | 6.5 | 0.5 | 7+0.5 | 0.4 |
| 2016 | 7.5 | 0.5 | 7-0.5 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0.5 | 8+6 | 0.5 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:snap_counts, nflverse:combine, nflverse:draft_picks · multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle · updated 7/31/2026
Career Value · VORP
116 career value over replacement — #903 all-time of 4,612. 16.6/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeSteal ↑
Pick #213 (Rd 7) · DET · 2010 · +52.2 vs expected KV-H
71actual
18.8 expected · Δ+52.2
Fan Rating
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