How important is Delanie Walker to the 49ers?

He definately aggravates with his untimely drops and turnovers but with that said I still really want him back. He was a big part of our evolving offense down the stretch and more than the catches, its the unseen things that make him a weapon in our offense. Vernon is a talented enough player to get open by himself but Walker compliments him well with his very own speed that attracts defenders off Vernon and that is what allowed some of those big passes down the field we saw Kaep hitting Vernon with in stride. I'd like him back.

Delanie Walker is a great player and he deserves to be on this team. He's an excellent blocker, great route runner and can make big plays when needed, the only aspect that we all can agree he neeeeeds practice on was catching. and towards the end of the season, he got much better at it. Im hoping to see what he can do next season no matter what team he end up on.

I agree with Popeye. He's very valuable in the Niner offense, and it's because of his blocking. He does drop a lot of passes but he's very important in their run game.

Originally posted by suckafree17:
So who sets the value for him in the market? Another team or us? What they are willing to pay and allow us to counter or do we throw our top number at him and see what others do....A la New England and Dashon Goldson

49ers will set a price that they'll pay for him, if he doesn't like it....go and find a better offer.

Originally posted by GNielsen:
Yeah, that's overstating his importance in the system. Walker is absolutely not "the reason we run our offense." There are at least two viable alternatives in the second round of the draft who have similar speed and are very tall (both are 6'6"). And Celek is also a good blocker who is already on the roster. And, I agree with SammyFrancisco above - either of those 6'6" guys are natural pass catchers with good hands and would give Kaepernick another advantage in the red zone.

And, I have to point this out - "cry about his drop rate"??!! Dude, he has the biggest drop rate for his position in the league. He's a receiver. When Kaepernick floats a perfect pass into his hands to win the Rams game, he's got to make that catch because HE'S A RECEIVER! I don't care how many blocks he throws - his main job is to catch the ball when it is thrown to him. Blocking is icing on the cake, but if it's a crappy tasting cake, the icing doesn't help that much.

He has the biggest drop rate in the NFL...period...and its not even close. Dropping 30% of your targets? That is insanely bad. For every 2 passes he catches, he drops one.....as a comparison, Jimmy Graham had about 3 or 4 more drops than Walker....but Graham also caught about 70 more passes.

I wish we would keep him. If he could work on his hands and catching the ball in the offseason, he could be a legitimate threat imo

I'd like to see him stay, however, sometimes it's good for some change. This coaching staff knows how to put players in situations to produce. Is it a coincidence that Alex took off as soon as started getting quality coaching? Walker will be missed but no one is irreplaceable.

He cant be too important or hed be under contract already.

Originally posted by xela510:
I wish we would keep him. If he could work on his hands and catching the ball in the offseason, he could be a legitimate threat imo

Ahhhh yes...the old "he should work on his hands" rubbish. Guess what, if you're a 7 year veteran of the NFL and you still can't hold on to the ball, there is nothing to develop, you're just a lousy receiver.

Originally posted by xela510:

I wish we would keep him. If he could work on his hands and catching the ball in the offseason, he could be a legitimate threat imo

Historically he has great hands, I think he is struggling with the speed of Kap's passes like many Niners. Vernon and Moss dropped too many passes for my comfort. Watching him college, he kept taking so much heat off his throws so the ball could be caught, led to more interceptions. Farve's passes also took receivers time to adjust to his velocity.

Delaney I really like but, fear we can't afford him as a #2 TE

Originally posted by OldJoe:
Historically he has great hands, I think he is struggling with the speed of Kap's passes like many Niners. Vernon and Moss dropped too many passes for my comfort. Watching him college, he kept taking so much heat off his throws so the ball could be caught, led to more interceptions. Farve's passes also took receivers time to adjust to his velocity.

Delaney I really like but, fear we can't afford him as a #2 TE

Joseph Fauria

Originally posted by JustinNiner:
Joseph Fauria

No, the Tin Man belongs in the Wizard of Oz, not out on a football field. Fauria is also horrendous as a blocker.

Originally posted by suckafree17:

A high percentage of our O snaps were 2 TE sets and even at times 3. In my mock offseason I don't believe the 49ers will be able to retain Walker. Thus, we need to spend a draft pick on the TE position. Delanie has proven to be versital, but does that make him invaluable to us?

I was surprised by two things this season
- walker stone hands
- it seems like the coaches phased him out of the game plan compared to last year
I think it means he is gone
They may value celek more with his small salary and maybe he climb the chart à la Boone
Plus the drat with all their picks for a third stringer

he's VASTLY overrated

would i resign him? yeah

would i get a legit #2 TE to likely start over him? yeah