It rarely happens like this.
The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2011 NFL Draft in desperate need of a quarterback. That "Alex Smith Thing" never quite worked out after the team selected the former Utah player with the first overall pick in 2005, and first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh was looking to make his initial imprint on the franchise he was selected to champion.
23-year-old Nevada gunslinger Colin Kaepernick, a Milwaukee, WI. native turned Turlock, Calif. transplant sat anxiously in his parents' living room as Day Two of the draft began on April 29. Years of hard work, dedication and the writing of this letter, all prepared him for this one singular moment.
Neither side had to wait long to see their goals realized.
The 49ers proceeded to trade their 2nd, 4th and 5th round picks in 2011 to the Denver Broncos, acquiring the 36th overall selection - and Kaepernick - in one fell swoop.
Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly.
"San Francisco was my favorite, by far." Kaepernick said of his preference as to which team he wanted to be selected by. "The energy and excitement he (Harbaugh) brings out there just makes you want to play for him."
The 49ers get their quarterback of the future. Kaepernick gets to play for one of his childhood teams that is coincidentally the closest in proximity to his hometown, and his family won't have to travel far to watch their son as he takes his first steps down a path towards NFL stardom.
For the rookie, being selected to learn under a coach who possesses a track record for developing passers like Harbaugh is a quite the honor. Especially considering he played almost exclusively in the shotgun during his four years with the Wolfpack. Harbaugh, who ran a semblance of the West Coast offense during his tenure as head coach at Stanford University, intends on plugging in the same sort of attack with the 49ers. Skeptics claim that the learning curve may be too steep for the 6'5", 230-pounder, despite being widely-publicized as the only quarterback in NCAA Division I history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 in his career.
"When a team trades up for you, you know that they want you," Kaepernick said. "As a quarterback, that just makes you feel you belong there. Going into the offense, I think he (Harbaugh) sees that I'm going to work very hard at what I do and make sure I can perform when it comes to game day."
One variable that should prove to have a positive effect in accelerating the development Kaepernick is the amount of talent surrounding him on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line contains three first round picks (Tackles Joe Staley and Anthony Davis, guard Mike Iupati), with the receiving corps boasting three first rounders as well (Wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn, and tight end Vernon Davis). Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman spent last season together while at Stanford, which helps in terms of consistency and cohesion regarding playcalling.
At first glance, it appears as if Kaepernick has been set up in the ideal situation and will have every chance to flourish and succeed in San Francisco. It will be up to both Harbaugh and Kaepernick however, to make that happen.
