Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Reevaluating the 2011 NFL Draft, Five Years Later

By Bryan Knowles

December 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi
December 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi /
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Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Round 2, No. 36 Overall: Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada

The 49ers’ quarterback entering the 2011 season was Alex Smith, and everyone and their brother agreed that it was time for Smith to go. The former first overall pick had yet to really show any promise on the field, and common wisdom had the 49ers grabbing Blaine Gabbert if he fell to them at No. 7.

Instead, the 49ers passed on Gabbert. They traded their second-, fourth- and fifth-round picks to jump up nine slots in the second round and grab a quarterback from Nevada with interesting physical tools named Colin Kaepernick.

Considered a slight reach with players like Ryan Mallett still available, Kaepernick was nevertheless considered a raw but very exciting developmental player; someone with a chance to become a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

And, for a few years, that’s exactly what he was. For about a year and a half, taking over for an injured Alex Smith halfway through the 2012 season, Kaepernick was arguably the most electrifying player in the NFL, taking the 49ers within a yard of a Super Bowl win and within a few inches of tipped pass away from another trip.

Even in 2014, a down year, he was still an average quarterback by NFL standards, which is great for a second-round pick.

Last year, of course, was terrible, and now he’s fighting for his starting spot and his career against first-round bust Blaine Gabbert. There’s still hope for him; a Chip Kelly-led offense might be what he needs to get his career back on track.

While it might have been better in the long run for the 49ers to stick with Smith at quarterback, or to trade one slot higher and grab Andy Dalton out of TCU, Kaepernick might be the seventh best starting quarterback in franchise history. None of the players drafted immediately after Kaepernick have had nearly the same impact as Kaepernick has had for the 49ers, though Jabaal Sheard, Akeem Ayers, Brooks Reed and Orlando Franklin have all had good NFL careers.

I wouldn’t trade the years the 49ers had with Kaepernick for any of those players, even if his time as an NFL starter may be just about up.  I still hold out hope he can turn his career around, as well; if he doesn’t, this grade will drop over the next few years.

Grade: A

Next: Chris Culliver