Delanie Walker

Delanie Walker

refer to caption

Walker with the San Francisco 49ers in 2009
No. 82Tennessee Titans
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1984-08-12) August 12, 1984
Place of birth: Pomona, California
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school: Pomona (CA)
College: Central Missouri
NFL draft: 2006 / Round: 6 / Pick: 175
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Receptions: 340
Receiving yards: 4,014
Receiving touchdowns: 24
Player stats at NFL.com

Hubert Delanie Walker[1] (born August 12, 1984) is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He has also played fullback and wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Missouri.

Early years

Walker was a first-team All-Region selection by The Times, adding All-Division and All-San Gabriel Valley honors as a senior at Pomona High School under the direction of Coach John Capraro. He was twice chosen Miramonte League Offensive Player of the Year and was selected 2001 Pomona Red Devil of the Year. He played in the East/West All Star game and also excelled in track & field, winning the Division III 100-meters title after also finishing first in the 2002 Miramonte League Meet.

After high school, Walker originally committed to UTEP, but attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California to improve his academics.

College career

Walker first enrolled at Mount San Antonio Community College. In 2003, he was ranked seventh on JCFootball.com's "Top 101 Players" list. Walker finished his junior college career with 86 catches for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns. He then transferred to the University of Central Missouri. While at UCM he set or equaled several receiving records. In two seasons at Central Missouri, Walker caught 113 passes for 1,347 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition, he also had 35 career kickoff returns for 965 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns are tied for the Central Missouri school record.

Professional career

2006 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 1 in 240 lb 4.49 s 1.65 s 2.68 s 4.60 s 7.23 s 36.5 in 10 ft 7 in
All values from NFL Combine

San Francisco 49ers

Walker was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 175th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

On June 22, 2008, the 49ers signed Walker to a three-year, $6 million extension through 2012. The deal included a $1.8 million signing bonus. He also returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown in week 4 of the 2008 preseason.

In 2011, Jim Harbaugh became head coach of the 49ers and Greg Roman became offensive coordinator for the team. They praised Delanie Walker's skill set and used him a number of different ways in the West Coast Offense, including different receiver spots, backup fullback and even as an alternative kickoff returner and gunner on special teams,[2] attributes that earned him the nickname of "The Swiss Army Knife" within the team.

In 2013, Walker's aunt and uncle were killed by a drunk driver, five hours after Walker played in Super Bowl XLVII. The tragedy motivated Walker to speak out against drunk driving, and support laws requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device for first-time DUI offenders.[3]

Tennessee Titans

Walker signed with the Tennessee Titans on March 12, 2013.[4]

Walker had a career year during the 2015 season, shattering all Titans records for a tight end, including 1,088 yards receiving. He had previously broken the Titans' tight end receiving yards record in the 2014 season with 890 yards. Walker led all NFL tight ends with 94 receptions, and became only the ninth tight end to ever record 90+ catches in a single season. He was later named to his first career Pro Bowl.

During Week 15, towards the end of a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots, Walker had a touchdown that would come off of a highlight-reel play. He caught a pass from quarterback Zach Mettenberger, broke two tackles, hurdled a man and stiff armed another, all while racing down the sideline to the endzone to complete a 57-yard score. Walker would record two catches, 64 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 33-16 defeat.

Career statistics

Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2006 SF 7 2 30 15.0 29 0
2007 SF 16 21 174 8.3 26 1
2008 SF 15 10 155 15.5 53 1
2009 SF 16 21 233 11.1 39 0
2010 SF 14 29 331 11.4 38 0
2011 SF 15 19 198 10.4 29 3
2012 SF 16 21 344 16.4 45 3
2013 TEN 15 60 571 9.5 33 6
2014 TEN 15 63 890 14.1 68 4
2015 TEN 15 94 1,088 11.6 61 6
Total 144 340 4,014 11.8 68 24

References

External links

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