Not to be confused withJohn Thornton (NT · 1991–1993).

Also in other sports:mlbJohn Thornton (P · 1889–1892).

John Thornton is a career quality starter — a pass rusher whose body of work places Thornton in the top half of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Thornton's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.

DTCIN#97ACT

John Thornton

Top 26% all-time pass rushersHigh-End Starter

Height6'3"

Weight297 lb

BornOct 2, 1976

Age49

College

Career Value · VORP

101 career value over replacement — #1108 all-time of 4,649. 11.2/season above a replacement-level DL.

Draft OutcomeValue ↑

Pick #52 (Rd 2) · TEN · 1999 · +12.6 vs expected KV-H

60actual

47.4 expected · Δ+12.6

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Compare John Thornton vs Player Report data error

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.

1 grid split in one view

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Defense
Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	TD	Sfty
1999	22–23	TEN	11	—	18	14	4	7	4	4.5	15.5	0	1	1	—	0	1
2000	23–24	TEN	12	—	22	14	8	6	4	4.0	14.0	0	1	0	1	0	0
2001	24–25	TEN	1	—	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	1	0	—	0	0
2002	25–26	TEN	11	—	18	13	5	3	3	2.0	8.0	0	3	0	—	0	0
2003	26–27	CIN	15	—	29	17	12	0	0	6.0	6.0	0	3	1	2	0	0
2004	27–28	CIN	16	—	50	30	20	0	0	3.0	3.0	0	4	0	—	0	0
2005	28–29	CIN	15	—	36	18	18	0	0	2.0	2.0	1	1	1	1	0	0
2006	29–30	CIN	14	—	39	24	15	0	2	2.0	4.0	0	3	1	1	0	0
2007	30–31	CIN	14	—	28	20	8	0	5	1.0	6.0	0	1	0	1	0	0
2008	31–32	CIN	13	—	23	17	6	4	8	3.0	15.0	0	2	0	—	0	0
Career		—	122	—	263	167	96	20	26	27.5	73.5	1	20	4	6	0	1

Defense

Season	Age	Team	G	GS	Tkl	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits	Sk	Dis	Int	PD	FF	FR	Sfty
1999	22–23	TEN	11	—	18	14	4	7	4	4.5	15.5	0	1	1	—	1
2000	23–24	TEN	12	—	22	14	8	6	4	4.0	14.0	0	1	0	1	0
2001	24–25	TEN	1	—	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	1	0	—	0
2002	25–26	TEN	11	—	18	13	5	3	3	2.0	8.0	0	3	0	—	0
2003	26–27	CIN	15	—	29	17	12	0	0	6.0	6.0	0	3	1	2	0
2004	27–28	CIN	16	—	50	30	20	0	0	3.0	3.0	0	4	0	—	0
2005	28–29	CIN	15	—	36	18	18	0	0	2.0	2.0	1	1	1	1	0
2006	29–30	CIN	14	—	39	24	15	0	2	2.0	4.0	0	3	1	1	0
2007	30–31	CIN	14	—	28	20	8	0	5	1.0	6.0	0	1	0	1	0
2008	31–32	CIN	13	—	23	17	6	4	8	3.0	15.0	0	2	0	—	0
Career			122		263	167	96	20	26	—	—	1	20	4	6	1

KV-H Anatomy

KV-H 60 · Strong Starter

A strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 60 of 100, era-normalized against sacks/g peers across 9 scored seasons.

Sustained

career value

×.6

Peak

best 3 seasons

×.4

×1

Longevity

career length

Blend 60 × longevity 1 = KV-H 60· confidence 100%

What builds the career mark of 58

On-field 41

Availability 17

On-field production