Colin Kaepernick Scouting Report
By Editorial Staff
Toughness/Leadership: Ran the ball quite often in college and was able to stay relatively healthy. At 6’4” and 233-pounds, he should be able to withstand the pounding of an NFL quarterback. What does cause concern is the leanness of his lower half. Will need to fill out his frame at the next level. Great leader on the field, which is what you’d expect from a 4 year starter. In arguably the biggest game of his career against Boise State, led the Wolf Pack to a victory after trailing 24-7 at halftime. Hard worker who possesses a blue collar mentality. Plays with intensity and gets fired up after big plays, resulting in the cultivation of momentum.
Intelligence/Decision Making: Running the Pistol offense at Nevada, Colin doesn’t have a lot of experience going through progressions or reading defenses. Has the intelligence to develop these skills at the next level. Overall, shows good decision making. Only threw 23 interceptions in 4 years. Because of his immense arm strength, he has a tendency to force throws into traffic at times. Often tries to make plays with his feet rather than throwing the ball away, resulting in sacks. Will need to adjust to taking snaps from under center at the next level.
Accuracy: Not overly accurate, but did show improvement throughout his career. Has the ability to make all the throws at each level of the field. More accurate on short to intermediate routes, but is capable of connecting on deep throws. Very good at throwing on the run. Does a nice job of keeping his eyes down-field and getting his shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage before releasing the ball. However, doesn’t always hit his receivers in stride allowing for yards after the catch. Occasionally the ball will sail on him causing him to miss high. Will wow you on one throw and disappoint you the next. Better technique and footwork could help him become more accurate.
Release/Arm Strength: Very strong arm. Can throw it all over the field. Neck and neck with Ryan Mallett for strongest arm in this draft class. Having a strong arm is nice, but he needs to learn when to put some touch on his throws. Has a funky, loopy release with a long delivery. Will get some passes batted down at the line of scrimmage because of this. Will need to tighten up his mechanics at the next level.
Pocket Mobility/Mobility: Excellent athletic ability. As with his arm strength, his running ability is one of his greatest assets. Statistically, one of the greatest running quarterbacks in the history of college football. He possesses great speed for a Quarterback. Is a long strider that can chew up yardage quickly. Also a tough runner that is able to run through tackles, but does have some issues with ball security when scrambling. Does a good job of feeling the rush and using his escapability to step up in the pocket or take off and gain yardage with his legs. From time to time he’ll leave the pocket prematurely, not letting the play develop. Needs to have more patience. Has the ability to keep plays alive with his feet.
Intangibles: Four year starter and team captain at Nevada. First Team All-WAC and WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2010. Only player in the history of college football to rush for over 4,000 yards and throw for over 9,000 yards in a career. Also the only player ever to rush for over 1,000 yards and throw for over 2,000 yards in 3 consecutive seasons. WAC all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. Was a 43rd round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs in 2009.
Overall Stock: With teams not being able to make trades or sign free agents before the draft this year, a lot of teams have uncertainty at the quarterback position right now. That could cause projected mid round QBs to be reached for, and Colin Kaepernick is one of those such players that may get over drafted. As the draft approaches, there are rumblings that Kaepernick could go as high as the first round. This is a player I am struggling a bit to put a grade on. Colin possesses some attributes that you would love in a starting quarterback. Great athletic ability, good size, strong arm, the ability to move around in the pocket, and to make plays with his feet. Like Cam Newton, he is the “new” breed of Quarterback. On the other hand, there are concerns about the offense he ran in college and whether he can translate to a pro-style offense in the NFL. Also, there is concern about accuracy. I think he would benefit from sitting and learning for a year or two. Although he has a lot to like and the upside is there, taking Colin in the first round would be a mistake. I would slot him somewhere between the middle of the 2nd round to the end of the 3rd round.
NFL Comparisons: Jake Plummer and Randall Cunningham