The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of three AFC South teams showing heavy interest in Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. According to Evan Silva of ProFootballTalk.com, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard spent multiple hours privately with Kaepernick after his Nevada Pro-Day. Sheppard and Kaepernick spent a lot of the time doing board and film work. The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans both have shown interest in the talent quarterback and some feel as if the Titans will pick him if he's still available at the 39th overall pick.
"I'm hearing that the Titans at 39 could be the pick [for Kaepernick]," the source told ProFootballTalk. "Unless a team grabs him prior to that. And the possibility of a team trading into the second half of the first round for Kaepernick is very real."
Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders and Sports Press Northwest likened Kaepernick to some other "surprise" first round picks in the past two drafts, Tyson Alualu and Josh Freeman.In every draft, there's a pick that comes out of nowhere and leaves everyone surprised. Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars shocked most observers by taking Cal defensive lineman Tyson Alualu with the 10th overall pick when many had him at a second-round grade. Similarly, in a quarterback class that is muddled at best, I'm of the belief that NFL teams are going to rate Kaepernick higher and higher the more they watch him, talk with him, and work him out.
He needs adjustments to his throwing motion and overall offensive concepts, but in an NFL where there's three times as many shotgun sets as there were a decade ago, and Chan Gailey put together a productive NFL offense based on the Pistol with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, forward-thinking executives looking for real value at the game's most important position might zero in on Kaepernick and make him this year's out-of-the-box first-rounder. The Josh Freeman comp is based less on specific attributes and more on the fact that Freeman had all the measurables and intangibles in a unique package like Kaepernick.
If Colin Kaepernick is truly a target for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they will either need to select him with the 16th overall pick or maneuver around in the draft to select him before the run on quarterbacks that many feel will occur at the end of Round 1 and the start of Round 2.