Apr 1, 2011
Position: QB 10 Yard Split: 1.62
Height/Weight: 6’4″ 233 NFL Comparison: Randall Cunningham
40 Time: 4.53 Projected Round: 2
Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=183575
My Take: Colin Kaepernick flew somewhat under the radar playing in the WAC for Nevada, but he has flown up draft boards recently. Once thought of as a mid-round pick, Kaepernick has worked his way into the second round mix and if a team falls in love with him, he may very well go in the first. Kaerpernick honestly might have as much potential as anyone in this class, the question is will his game live up to his impressive physical gifts.
If you saw Kaepernick throw at the Combine, you know just how impressive of an arm Kaepernick has. He and his 92 mph fastball were recruited out of high school by Division I baseball teams, but he opted to go play quarterback at Nevada. You don’t want to get caught up on how good someone looks throwing in shorts, but it’s clear he has the arm to make every throw. He can sling it 50+ yards on a rope with ease.
There are two problems with him as a thrower, though. His delivery is a long wind-up, not a quick, compact motion. There’s a good chance whoever takes him might have him undergo a Tim Tebow-like makeover to cut down on how long it takes him to get the ball out of his hand. Some people don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but Byron Leftwich comes to mind and how much his long throwing motion killed him in the NFL. That extra split second or two can be enough to allow a defender who wouldn’t have been able to make a play to bat it down or even pick it off. The other thing is he has such a big arm, sometimes the ball would just bounce off his receivers hands and get intercepted every now and then. One would like to think that wouldn’t be as much of an issue with NFL receivers, but it would do him well to take some heat off the ball and put a little more touch on it on shorter passes. The encouraging thing is that he does have the arm to put ball in tight spots, though.
Kaepernick is an outstanding scrambler, too. He has great top-end speed and ran in the 4.5 range. It’s apparent that translates to the field too as you see him pulling away from defenders. The guy ran for over 1000 yards each of the past three years, there’s just no questioning the fact that he’s a great runner on both designed runs and scrambles. It’s not that he just has speed either, he has good awareness and moves and can make guys miss. Obviously he’s not going to be as a dangerous a runner against NFL defenders, but when he does tuck in and run he will be able to pick up some yards and move the chains. The thing I like about him, though, is that he isn’t content with just running when faced with pressure, he keeps his eyes downfield and tries to find a receiver. Don’t get the impression that he’s a one read and then run guy, he really wants to find an open receiver but will take off when needed.
Kaepernick has really grown on me. He’s a two-time Academic All-American who has really everything you want in a dream quarterback. I don’t know if he’ll ever necessarily produce like Michael Vick did this year as a two-way threat, but he certainly has the talent to do it. It’s clear he’s not pro-ready right now. Last time I checked not too many teams run the Pistol in the NFL, and he will need to get more accustomed to pocket passing and reading NFL defenses. His throwing motion may also need to be tweaked. Add this all together and you’ve got someone who probably shouldn’t start for a year or two. If he can develop and puts in the work needed to belong as a starting QB in the NFL, he could become a very dangerous guy who defenses will have to scheme specifically to defend. He’s the kind of guy who I think it would be a mistake to try and force him into being a standard NFL pocket passer. If I was coaching him, I would want to build an offense around his skills and implement plays like the Eagles did for Vick. Include some zone-reads and get him outside the pocket. If they’re willing to fully commit to him and be patient with him, Kaepernick has all the tools to develop into one heck of a quarterback. The question is if that’ll happen this year, in a year or two, or at any point in his career. Kaepernick is definitely a risky pick with how much work and time will have to be invested in him, but since he probably won’t go in the first round, he just might be worth that chance for some team sitting at the top of round two who’s willing to go for broke and hope Kaepernick is their answer under center.
-Tom
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