While neither he nor his new team have any concerns about whether or not he’ll be ready by the start of the season, the 49ers announced on Friday that No. 36 overall pick Colin Kaepernick recently underwent surgery to repair an injury to his lower left leg.
“It’s nothing serious at all,” Kaepernick told the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows. “For me, going through the end of the season and then on to the Senior Bowl and everything – there wasn’t any time to get it handled.”
The Niners issued a statement about the procedure, stating that they knew about the surgery before they drafted Kaepernick in April. (I would have hope they would.) The team also stated that it had “no concerns regarding his health and are confident that he will be ready for the 2011 NFL season.”
Even if he weren’t, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for Kaepernick or the 49ers. I think Jim Harbaugh will eventually turn Kaepernick into a successful pro quarterback. But it’s going to take some time.
Kaepernick certainly has all the physical tools to succeed at the next level (i.e. great arm strength, terrific athleticism, good intangibles), but he played in the pistol offense at Nevada. It’s going to be a couple of years before he learns the nuances of how to be a pro quarterback, including being able to read a defense and learn an entire playbook. I know Niner fans are excited for him to start right away, but it’s not a bad idea that the team is considering re-signing Alex Smith to an extension so that Kaepernick can watch and observe for a year or two. And if this injury slows him down in his first year then again, that may not be a bad thing.
