Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker has been in the NFL for 10 years. A sixth-round pick out of Central Missouri State, he was probably a long-shot to make the San Francisco 49ers' roster back in 2006. But make it he did, and he's been a roster mainstay ever since.
In that time, Walker has been the teammate of 89 rookies -- at least during the regular season. It's likely that during the offseason program, he had even more players without any experience in his huddle. It's unlikely, though, that Walker learned any of their names before they actually made the team.
And we're not just saying that out of turn. Walker himself said that's his policy.
"I don't get to know anybody until they make the team," Walker said, via The Tennesseean. "I talk to them, but they might not be here. There ain't too much I need to learn from them till they make the team. That's everybody. Anyone that's a rookie.
"You've got to earn the right. These rookies come in nowadays, stuff's given to them. I'm not going to be your friend until you make the team."
I guess that's bad news for Jack Conklin, Kevin Dodd, Austin Johnson, Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, Tajae Sharpe, LeShaun Sims, Sebastian Tretola, Aaron Wallace, and Kalan Reed, all of whom were drafted by the Titans last month. The same goes for Curtis Riley, Curtis Grant, Cody Riggs, and the rest of the Titans' undrafted free agent signings.
