NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Delanie Walker hasn't been asked for help too often this summer. It's not that the Tennessee Titans tight end isn't willing, and he has a wealth of knowledge to share going into his 12th season, but fewer rookies are seeking it out this year. Kendall Wright Jerseys Why? Walker has a hypothesis. "They’re kinda scared of me," Walker said. "If they ask me for help, I try to give my best advice. But they kinda are starstruck. When they were in elementary, I was in the NFL. Sometimes I think they’re just happy to play beside me."

Walker, who turned 33 last Saturday, is a rare physical specimen at the top of his game. Marcus Mariota Jerseys There aren't many 30-plus players, outside of quarterbacks and specialists, that remain among the top five-to-seven players at their position. Recent NFL history tells him he should be preparing to disappear into retirement. Delanie Walker Jerseys He calls that a lie. In a Titans offense filled with new toys at the receiving positions, Walker remains one of Marcus Mariota's favorite targets when it matters the most. Walker says he's happy that Eric Decker, Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor have been added to play beside him. But that doesn't mean he won't eat anymore. Walker wants to make that clear.

So it's no surprise at the end of Thursday's practice when Mariota finds Walker blazing down the seam for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers defense. "He hasn't slowed a bit. He's still at full-strength, he's still very difficult to cover," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. DeMarco Murray Jerseys "He takes such good care of his body and it shows up out here every day." The word "still" resonates when it comes out of Mularkey's mouth in reference to Walker. Longevity, like availability, is a skill. Walker doesn't have a magic potion or special workout shift that has caused him to remain dominant at 33. He says he does what he's always done: eat well, get rest and grind like he's still a sixth-round pick trying to make the team.

"I still see myself as one of the guys everybody looks at to make a play," Walker said. Derrick Henry Jerseys So when fantasy football pundits wonder how the Titans are going to spread the ball around to Walker, Decker, Davis, Rishard Matthews, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, among others, Walker isn't worried about getting squeezed out. Eddie George Jerseys "I don’t cry when I don’t get catches, but I’m always hungry," said Walker, who had 65 catches for 800 yards and seven touchdowns last season. "I’m always going to compete. I want the ball. I want to eat, but I have to get open. That’s the rules of the game. Whoever is open, is going to eat."