The Index · Live

Willie Gay Jr. Miami Dolphins · #40

Linebacker · 6' 1", 246 lbs · Starkville, MS · Age 28

Willie Gay Jr. is a Linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, drafted 63rd overall, 2020. In 2026 he recorded 8 tackles.

Miami Dolphins roster More Linebackers

LinebackerDrafted 63rd overall7-yr veteran

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Miami Dolphins · #40 · Linebacker

Willie Gay Jr.

Season avg8 tkl · 0 sacks · 0 int

Career avg289 tkl · 9 sacks · 4 int

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

8tkl

0sacks

0int

LADDER#1940 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXWillie Gay Jr. · Miami DolphinsLADDER#1940 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXWillie Gay Jr. · Miami Dolphins

Scouting report

Willie Gay Jr. — 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.

Linebacker · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Willie Gay Jr. is a Linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, drafted 63rd overall, 2020. In 2026 he recorded 8 tackles.

Tackling

Coverage

Splash

Tackling

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Pass rush

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

C+

Coverage

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Splash plays

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Disruption

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Willie Gay Jr. 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

Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬

29%

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬

23%

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬

22%

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬

11%

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #1066 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

164Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Willie Gay Jr. — every number, three levels deep

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

Tackling

8 TKL

drill in ↓

Pass rush

0.0 SACK

drill in ↓

Coverage

0 PD

drill in ↓

Splash

0 FF

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Willie Gay Jr.

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 2027 modeled

tackles

7–23

1.0

sacks

0.2–1.8

int

0–0

0–1

games

5–15

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 7-season history below.

What moves the tackles line vs last season

Last season 8 → projected 15 tackles

Baseline (recency-weighted)

+7.3

Age curve

-0.5

Net vs last season+6.9 tackles

Everything it reads

📊

7 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 28 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 15 / 17 / 4

health

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

Willie Gay Jr. career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Tkl	Sack	INT	FF	PD
2020	16	39	1	0	1	3
2021	12	48	0.5	2	0	4
2022	13	88	2.5	1	0	8
2023	16	58	1	1	1	4
2024	15	28	2	0	1	3
2025	17	20	2	0	0	2
2026 in progress · 4 games	4	8	0	0	0	0
Career	93	289	9.0	4	3	24

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

Azeez Ojulari 100%Isaiah Stalbird 100%Joe Andreessen 100%Khalid Kareem 100%SirVocea Dennis 100%Smael Mondon Jr. 100%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the Miami Dolphins built to win?

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

9–8proj record

60off index

88def index

+14net

60%playoff odds

62roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades C (60), defense A- (88) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 34, pass rush 76, coverage 99.

How his role moves

Projected 9–8 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

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Willie Gay Jr.

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

1998-02-15

The beginning

Willie Gay Jr.

Miami Dolphins

Turning pro

Drafted 63rd overall, 2020 as a Linebacker.

true

Willie Gay Jr. is a Miami Dolphins linebacker, drafted 63rd overall, 2020.

Chapter

Across 7 seasons (2020–2026) he has recorded 289 tackles, 9 sacks and 4 interceptions.

Chapter

Most recently he posted 8 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions in 2026.

▶

Jr.'s story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Willie Gay Jr. gets to Tyson Bagent for a sack on the Bears' opening drive ▶ Chief's Willie Gay Jr. gets a Pick 6 against the Broncos

Off the field

Measurables

Active

Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 246 lbs
Draft: 63rd overall, 2020
Born: Starkville, MS
Age: 28
Jersey: #40

Background

Willie Gay Jr. is from Starkville, MS and is 28 years old. He was drafted 63rd overall, 2020 and plays linebacker at 6' 1", 246 lbs.

Over 7 seasons (2020–2026) he has recorded 289 tackles, 9 sacks and 4 interceptions. Gay is currently on the Miami Dolphins roster.

The person

Willie Gay Jr. is a rotational starting linebacker who has piled up 289 tackles with 9 sacks and 4 interceptions across 7 seasons (2020–2026).

Tackle volume289 career tackles over 7 seasons.

Pass rush9 career sacks blitzing off the second level.

Takeaways4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 24 passes defensed.

Draft pedigree63rd overall, 2020.

Durability93 career games played.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN ESPN ESPN

FAQ

Willie Gay Jr. — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Willie Gay Jr., answered.

What position does Willie Gay Jr. play?

Willie Gay Jr. is a Linebacker for the Miami Dolphins.

When was Willie Gay Jr. drafted?

Willie Gay Jr. was drafted 63rd overall, 2020.

How many seasons has Willie Gay Jr. played?

7 (2020–2026).

What are Willie Gay Jr.'s career stats?

He has recorded 289 tackles, 9 sacks and 4 interceptions.

Willie Gay Jr. 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.

Willie Gay Jr. Miami Dolphins · #40

Willie Gay Jr. — the report card

Where Willie Gay Jr. stands

Willie Gay Jr. — every number, three levels deep

How the model sees Willie Gay Jr.

Willie Gay Jr. career stats, season by season

The Lab

Are the Miami Dolphins built to win?

The Ballad of Willie Gay Jr.

The beginning

Turning pro

true

Chapter

Chapter

Off the field

Willie Gay Jr. — frequently asked

Current role & opportunity

Injury history

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Willie Gay Jr. head-to-head

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