The Index · Legend

Emmitt SmithArizona Cardinals · #22

Running Back · 5'9", 221 lb · Pensacola, Florida · Age 57

Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and a record 164 rushing touchdowns over 15 seasons. He won three Super Bowls with Dallas, the 1993 MVP and Super Bowl XXVIII MVP, and led the league in rushing four times.

Arizona Cardinals roster More Running Backs

Running BackDrafted 199015-yr veteran

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Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex · Updated Aug 20, 2026

◆ Mythic · #5

Arizona Cardinals · #22 · Running Back

Emmitt Smith

Season avg937 rush yds · 9 td · 15 rec

Career avg18,355 rush yds · 164 td · 515 rec

IMPACTBalladex Impact 62 — Solid starter tierINDEXEmmitt Smith · Arizona CardinalsIMPACTBalladex Impact 62 — Solid starter tierINDEXEmmitt Smith · Arizona Cardinals

Scouting report

Emmitt Smith — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

B+

Running Back · Solid starter · Impact 62

Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and a record 164 rushing touchdowns over 15 seasons. He won three Super Bowls with

Rushing

B+

Receiving

Scoring

Rushing volume

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

Scoring

Elite · offense

tap for the data ↓

Receiving

Strong · offense

tap for the data ↓

A-

All-purpose

Excellent · offense

tap for the data ↓

B-

Volume share

Strong · offense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Emmitt Smith stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

✦ Balladex Consensus: Solid starter tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

62Impact index

2332Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file6

3× Super Bowl · Super Bowl MVP

Stat explorer

Emmitt Smith — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

Rushing

937 YDS

drill in ↓

Scoring

9 TD

drill in ↓

Receiving

105 YDS

drill in ↓

A-

All-purpose

1,042 YDS

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Emmitt Smith

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2005 modeled

587

rush yds

300–875

2–8

rec

11–13

rec yds

77–92

games

11–16

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 15-season history below.

What moves the rush yds line vs last season

Last season 937 → projected 587 rush yds

Baseline (recency-weighted)

-220.7

Age curve

-128.9

Net vs last season-349.6 rush yds

Everything it reads

📊

15 seasons of real box production

every game line, verified

real

⚖

Recency × games weight

recent, healthy years anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Year-over-year trend

his own trajectory, season to season

+dev

🕰

Position aging curve

age 57 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 16 / 10 / 15

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Emmitt Smith career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Rush	TD	Rec	Rec yds	Scrim
1990 ROY	16	937	11	24	228	1,165
1991	16	1,563	12	49	258	1,821
1992 SB	16	1,713	18	59	335	2,048
1993 MVP	14	1,486	9	57	414	1,900
1994	15	1,484	21	50	341	1,825
1995 SB	16	1,773	25	62	375	2,148
1996	15	1,204	12	47	249	1,453
1997	16	1,074	4	40	234	1,308
1998	16	1,332	13	27	175	1,507
1999	15	1,397	11	27	119	1,516
2000	16	1,203	9	11	79	1,282
2001	14	1,021	3	17	116	1,137
2002 Rush record	16	975	5	16	89	1,064
2003	10	256	2	14	107	363
2004	15	937	9	15	105	1,042
Career	226	18,355	164	515	3,224	21,579

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Zach Charbonnet 100%David Montgomery 99%Kyle Monangai 98%Quinshon Judkins 98%Rachaad White 98%Woody Marks 97%

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Context

Are the Arizona Cardinals built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

10–7proj record

79off index

79def index

+24net

71%playoff odds

74roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades B (79), defense B (79) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 77, pass rush 68, coverage 89.

How his role moves

Projected 10–7 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

62 of 99

Solid starter tier.

Rarity

◆ Mythic

Rank #5 of 2316 in NFL.

Résumé

6 accolades

3× Super Bowl · Super Bowl MVP · NFL MVP

Act IV

The Ballad of Emmitt Smith

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

1969-05-15

The beginning

Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher, the engine of the Dallas Cowboys' 1990s dynasty and a three-time Super Bowl champion.

Arizona Cardinals

Turning pro

Drafted 1990, Round 1 (#17 overall) as a Running Back.

true

1990 Offensive Rookie of the Year

Chapter

Won 1993 MVP and Super Bowl XXVIII MVP

Chapter

Set the record with 25 rushing TDs in 1995

▶

Smith's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Emmitt Smith's "Mr. Consistent" Career Highlights | NFL Legends ▶ Emmitt Smith (RB, Dallas Cowboys) Career Highlights | NFL ▶ The Emmitt Smith Game! (Cowboys vs. Giants, 1993) | NFL Vault Highlights ▶ This Barry Sanders & Emmitt Smith matchup in '94 was absolute cinema

Off the court

Measurables

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 221 lb
Draft: 1990, Round 1 (#17 overall)
Born: Pensacola, Florida
Age: 57
Jersey: #22

Off the Field

Since retiring, Smith won Dancing with the Stars, built real-estate and construction businesses, and has remained a visible Cowboys ambassador and entrepreneur.

The person

Smith blended remarkable durability and consistency with a fierce, goal-line competitiveness that thrived in the biggest games.

ReliableEleven 1,000-yard seasons, most in NFL history.

ClutchElevated his play in the playoffs and Super Bowls.

ToughFamously rushed for 168 yards with a separated shoulder in 1993.

Verified profiles & sources

Wikipedia Pro-Football-Reference NFL.com

FAQ

Emmitt Smith — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Emmitt Smith, answered.

Is Emmitt Smith the all-time leading rusher?

Yes. His 18,355 career rushing yards remain the NFL record, along with his 164 rushing touchdowns.

How many Super Bowls did Emmitt Smith win?

Three, all with the Cowboys: Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII.

When did Smith break the rushing record?

In October 2002 he passed Walter Payton's mark of 16,726 career rushing yards.

Emmitt Smith career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.