Delanie Walker

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 decided to attend Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California to improve his academics.

College career

Walker first enrolled at Mt. San Antonio 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.

San Francisco 49ers

Walker was drafted by 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, 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.

Tennessee Titans

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

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, toward 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.

Walker was ranked 82nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

On May 6, 2016, the Titans announced a two-year contract extension worth $14.7 million with $8.2 million in guarantees.

Walker was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016. He was also ranked 75th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.