Nevada quarterback had best velocity Aaron Wilson
INDIANAPOLIS -- Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick met with 14 teams at the NFL scouting combine, and he displayed the best velocity of any quarterback during testing that measures how many miles per hour.
According to a league source with knowledge of the situation, Kaepernick threw the football 59 miles per hour. Kaepernick is a former Chicago Cubs draft selection and an all-state baseball player who threw 94 miles per hour.
That edged out Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett (58 miles per hour) and Auburn quarterback Cam Newton (56 miles per hour).
The Nevada standout is the lone quarterback in Division I history to pass for over 10,000 career yards and also rush for 4,000 yards.
Directing a spread-option offense called the Pistol, Kaepernick is the only quarterback to pass for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season three times.
"I had a chance to see him last summer at Peyton Manning's Passing Academy," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said during a recent conference call. "I spent three days watching the kid throw the ball with Peyton and Eli. He's got a huge arm. He's a great athlete, and he's got a big frame. The kind of guy you want to buy into. He's the kind of guy that's going to rise a little bit. A lot of people thought he was a third, fourth, fifth-rounder heading into the season. Now, he's probably a second round type of guy."
Drawing comparisons to Texas Christian quarterback Andy Dalton, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder and Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi, Mayock said Kaepernick has "probably got the most upside of any of them."
As a senior last season, Kaepernick passed for 3,022 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 1,206 yards and 20 touchdowns.
As a junior, the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder passed for 2,052 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 1,183 yards and 16 touchdowns.
So, what's the drawback on the two-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year?
"He's got a very long motion," Mayock said. "He's got some technical flaws that have to be worked on, and he's a little inconsistent and wild. But if you can work with him, he's got the most upside of those kids.
"You'll laugh when you see him. He can throw the football through a wall. But there is so much work that has to be done with this young man. The tradeoff is how early do we take him versus when can we get him on the field?"
Kaepernick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 secnds.
He also draws high marks for his character.
“I think that’s one thing that’s going to start to separate me from other quarterbacks," Kaepernick told National Football Post. "I feel like I’m a good person. I'm not going to put myself in a bad position or the team in a bad position with things I do off the field. That's what you look for when you're looking for a leader. Is this person responsible and mature enough to realize no matter what as a quarterback you are face of that franchise and you need to carry yourself a certain way? Certain things you can’t get away with."
Kaepernick was born in Wisconsin to a single mother and was adopted by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick when he was five weeks old. He moved to Turlock, Calif., when he was four years old.
His family spent the entire week in Mobile with him at the Senior Bowl, a ubiquitous presence as they were constantly decked out in their Nevada Wolfpack gear.
"I just look at my parents as my family," he said. "People get confused when they see them because we don't look alike obviously. They're very great people. I've been very blessed. They're very proud of me and I want to continue to make them proud."
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