Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and political activist, worked out for seven NFL teams on Nov. 18, marking his first opportunity to return to the league since 2016. After kneeling during the national anthem to protest social issues such as police brutality and racial inequality in society, Kaepernick became one of the most controversial football players in the NFL. There have been debates about whether he has been blackballed by the league or if he is simply not good enough to be a QB. Simply put, I believe he is good enough to play in the league, and I will argue why.
In the 2011 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers drafted Colin Kaepernick in the 2nd round to serve as a backup for QB Alex Smith. Before even attending college, he was drafted in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs in the 43rd round and received multiple offers of scholarships to play baseball; however, he decided to stick with the sport he loved: football. The only school to offer him a scholarship was Nevada, and he excelled both academically and on the field. He earned a 4.0 GPA and graduated with a degree in business management while passing for over 3,000 yards in his senior year and rushing over 1,000 yards in three out of four years in college — a tremendous feat. Very few NFL prospects can boast the success he had both in the classroom and on the field, which ultimately led to NFL teams interest in Kaepernick.
His skillset going into the NFL was quite unique. He timed as the third fastest quarterback in his draft class, running a 4.53 40 yard dash. He also scored a 38 out of 50 on the Wonderlic, which ranks in the 98th percentile for all humans. Each year, the test is given out to prospects looking to get drafted to the NFL, and teams use it to help gauge a player’s ability to quickly understand complicated playbooks and defensive formations. If there is one thing teams love when it comes to quarterbacks, it’s the velocity at which they throw the ball.
How fast could he throw it?
Pretty fast. Actually, really fast.
Arm talent is something Kaepernick boasts. The reason why he received so many scholarships to play baseball was because of his arm strength. He could throw a baseball at 94 miles per hour, and when throwing the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game in 2013, the football player who, at the time, had not played baseball for 7 years, effortlessly threw the ball at 87 mph.
Obviously, throwing a baseball does not translate directly to how you throw a football. But if you could throw a good ball in baseball, it will most likely translate to football. This held true for Kaepernick. However, he was not the most accurate of quarterbacks in college or the NFL, but he never had to be. Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator for the 49ers, designed the offense around Kaepernick’s strengths: throwing the ball far and rushing. In 2012, he lost in the Super Bowl to the Ravens after some impressive performances in the playoffs and help from his terrific defense. In 2013, he was one play away from getting the 49ers back to the Super Bowl, but he just fell short.
In the next few years, the team around him deteriorated as their talented players either retired or left the team, a reality for most successful teams. His team struggled while he battled with injuries. Then came his protests, the media outburst, the fans boycotting games, and Kaepernick not being able to get a job.
He declined his player option in the 2017 offseason, although even if he had accepted the player option, the team still planned to cut him. In the 2017 off-season, the 49ers signed a new coach and were looking for a fresh start with a new quarterback. Kaepernick fully recovered from his three surgeries, and continued to work out to stay in shape. His agents continued to contact NFL teams that could be interested.
Still no job.
You can see the arm talent in his latest workout — it’s still there. In the correct system, with coaches who would design their offense to the strengths of their players, he could continue to have a successful career in the NFL. If we want facts, these are the facts about his football career and his talent. If we want facts about his decision to kneel for the national anthem, it was allowed, but not encouraged, by NFL teams. If we are pointing out things any individual is allowed to do within the word of his contract and not the abilities on the football field, what does that make Colin Kaepernick?
Blackballed. •
