With The First Pick
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San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Battle

By Carl Cockerham

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter at Levi
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter at Levi /
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San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert both came out of the 2011 NFL Draft. Gabbert was the No. 10 overall pick and Kaepernick went in the second round that year. But it was Kaepernick’s career that got off to a much better start.

He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl after the 2012 season and to the NFC Championship Game after the 2013 season. Many saw him as one of the league’s up-and-coming stars. Meanwhile, Gabbert, while struggling, had the look of a massive NFL draft bust.

Yet here they are, in a battle for the starting 49ers quarterback job. Not a soul around the NFL could have imagined this being an actual competition back in 2013. If these two were to ever play together, the thought would be Gabbert holding the clipboard from Kaepernick.

But surprisingly, this is a real battle and there’s a good chance that the opposite happens. Gabbert is the one that has the edge heading into training camp. Head coach Chip Kelly was hired to save Kaepernick after floundering of late but it looks like Gabbert grabbed the rope instead.

According to ESPN, he has picked up Kelly’s offense and the organization sees him as a better fit than Kaepernick. This might have started last year as Gabbert went in and played pretty well for Kaepernick. So Kelly opened the competition up when he was first hired this offseason.

That just might be why Kaepernick wanted to be traded earlier this offseason. Gabbert is a big threat to take his job, which would exponentially lower his value in the NFL. He didn’t want to take the pay cut to go to the Broncos so here he is in a battle for his life as an NFL starter.