Alex Smith is even more of a 49ers legend after Colin Kaepernick's comments

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been making the media rounds to promote his new memoir. In one recent interview, he spoke about Alex Smith, the quarterback he supplanted en route to becoming the starter, and how he was nothing but helpful to Kaepernick. Truth be told, the sentiment only makes Smith even more of a beloved 49ers legend.

Kaepernick went on the All the Smoke podcast and had the following to say about Smith:

I was very fortunate to have a quarterback like Alex Smith in front of me who was so collaborative and willing to give me insight on his approach, how he was thinking about the game. I don't think I would have been ready as quickly for the stakes that were ahead if I didn't get to work with him in that way.

It isn't all that surprising to hear that Smith was willing to take on a mentor role. Even though he had some intense struggles in his early years after being taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, he eventually put the pieces together once head coach Jim Harbaugh took over.

It's important to remember that Smith was having a solid season when he went down with a concussion during the 2012 campaign. To that point, he had completed 70.2 percent of his passes and had 13 touchdown passes compared to just five interceptions. There's a good chance the Niners could have made the Super Bowl, even if Smith had remained the starter, but it became clear that Kaepernick brought something to the offense that his predecessor didn't.

Alex Smith's contributions to 49ers franchise went beyond the stat sheet

Kaepernick was young and untested when he took over. Had it not been for Smith mentoring him and helping him despite having just lost his job, the 49ers probably never would've made it to the Super Bowl.

That speaks to the kind of guy Smith is. Many NFL quarterbacks would have thrown a fit or made a big stink if they got replaced by a second-year player, especially since it came on the heels of an injury.

Looking back, it's actually less jarring that the Niners went with Smith over Aaron Rodgers with the No. 1 pick in 2005. Smith has a much more tame demeanor, whereas Rodgers' arrogance has always been palpable, and he's been more than willing to throw teammates under the bus throughout his career. It's reasonable to believe that, when the two interviewed with San Francisco prior to the draft, Smith probably seemed like the better kid.

Alex Smith still lives in the Bay Area and continues to say positive things about the 49ers, even though other guys in his situation would probably be bitter about it. The fact that he helped Kaepernick get up to speed tells you all you need to know about the guy.

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