2011 NFL Draft Results: Jim Harbaugh, 49ers Hitch Wagon to Colin Kaepernick

Two days down, one to go in the interminable slog that is the NFL draft, and one thing is becoming clear: the Trent Baalke/Jim Harbaugh era is eerily reminiscent of the Scot McCloughan/Mike Singletary era.

In other words, when it comes to the draft they care not a whit about what you or I think and even less about what Mel Kiper Jr. and Matt Mayock think.

The pick of Missouri Aldon Smith, a precocious 20-year-old who just happens to have a body built for dismembering quarterbacks, was a bit of a reach, but at least he filled a need and he had a track record of success, even though his most notable achievements—11.5 sacks at Missouri in 2009—came as a freshman against opponents unfamiliar with him in the pass-happy Big 12 conference.

In endorsing the pick of the 6'4", 263-pound Smith, Harbaugh mentioned the kid's freakish "Dwyane Wade-like" wingspan of 83". Smith noted that he uses his long arms to keep cumbersome linemen at bay, but one can assume they would be an asset when it comes to batting down passes or lunging at running backs running a sweep somewhere in his area code as well.

He wasn't the sexy choice, or even the safe one, and more than one draftnik out there raised concerns about him being too stiff around the corner and too upright (read: blockable) to be much of an impediment to opposing rushing attacks.

But there was some talent there, and accomplishment, and as Baalke, Harbaugh and Smith himself all referenced his willingness to play on a right leg not nearly fully-recovered from a broken fibula to enforce both his desire to compete and his love of the game.

Clichés? Yes, without a doubt, but cute nonetheless.

Then came Friday, where it appeared that once again the 49ers were going to be sans quarterback after the Bengals happily found TCU's Andy Dalton waiting for them with the 35th pick. He was the fifth quarterback taken in the draft, joining Auburn's Cam Newton (No. 1, Carolina), Washington's Jake Locker (No. 8, Tennessee), Missouri's Blaine Gabbert (No. 10, Jacksonville) and Florida State's Christian Ponder (No. 12, Minnesota).

There were only two passers of any renown left, and one of them, Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, had feet like rocks and a head to match, so he seemed to be a poor fit for Harbaugh.

Sensing that it was time to get while the getting was good, the locals traded up from the 45th slot to Denver's perch at No. 36, giving away picks in the fourth and fifth rounds for the privilege.

Kaepernick, who has size (6'4", 233 pounds) and speed—he ran the second-fast 40-yard dash of any quarterback at the scouting combine in Indianapolis and then bettered it during his pro day workout—drew comparisons to both Newton for his wheels and the gimmicky offense he played in at college and to Florida demigod Tim Tebow for his funky delivery and reckless playing style.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock excitedly told viewers that Kaepernick is a better athlete than Tebow and it's undeniable that he's faster at full gallop and has a stronger arm.

However, he does have a hitch in his throwing motion and it's unclear how long it will take to get him up to speed in a pro offense after he spent four years running the "Pistol" at Nevada and the single wing in high school before that.

Harbaugh insisted that Kaepernick's delivery isn't an issue to him, saying in effect that throwing motions are like snowflakes and no two are alike. He emphasized that from the time Kaepernick "opens up" to throw to the time the ball hits the receiver's hands (hopefully the intended one), his new quarterback gets it there as fast as anyone, if not faster.

It's reminiscent of another running quarterback who played at a western school without a big football tradition a quarter of a century ago, UNLV's Randall Cunningham. He too had a long windup, but his spirals were so tight and his arm strength so superior that he got the ball to his target just fine in the pros.

Meanwhile, Kaepernick's collegiate accomplishments dwarfed Cunningham's, and most anyone else as well. He is the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 10,000 yards and run for 4,000 and as a senior he set career highs in completion percentage (64.9), passing yards (3,022), rushing yards (1,206) and rushing touchdowns (20), while throwing for 21 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

The glitzy numbers aside, it's hard to deny that Kaepernick is a long-term project who played against inferior competition in the WAC. He won't contribute much to the cause in 2011, and 2012 may be a bit of a stretch as well. The optimists among you can hope for some cameo appearances in blowouts or short-yardage/goal-line situations, a la Tebow (who usually played brilliantly against much better competition in the SEC and then didn't embarrass himself against the AFC West, which is almost as good). 

Was Kaepernick worth the 36th pick? Well, circumstances dictated that he was. If the scale you go by is improving the team for the upcoming season, then he should've been a third-day pick. If it's long-term upside then maybe somewhere toward the end of the second round would've been appropriate.

However, when you consider he was the only final viable option for any quarterback-starved team that didn't want to deal with the Mallett headache for the next five years...well, that changes the equation entirely. In the grand scheme of things pick No. 36 isn't too bad to avoid all that drama.

Frankly, if the 49ers nail either of the first two picks, then their choice of South Carolina defensive back Chris Culliver in the third round will become nothing more than a historical footnote.

Really, considering that the major reason Harbaugh was given the head gig was because of his "quarterback whisperer" reputation; Kaepernick better be good, and the sooner the better.

It's not like you have any confidence that Harbaugh (or anyone else, including all your popular deities) can turn Alex Smith's career around, so this kid from Turlock will be the one that will make or break Harbaugh's pro reputation.

If Aldon Smith can help by pitching in 10 sacks and a few forced fumbles every season, all the better. Considering that defense has made do (well, sometimes) with Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson on the outside the past five years, it's not like he's got a high bar to clear.  

Culliver? Well, he's the requisite 6'0", 200 pounds that all McCloughan/Baalke corners must be, and he ran a sub-4.4 in the 40 in the scouting combine, but the list of superlatives about him ends there. A befuddled Mayock quickly labeled him as "a height-weight-speed" guy and dismissed him as a sixth-round talent.

The criticism may sound harsh, but Culliver, who spent most of his collegiate career as a safety before converting to corner for his senior season—which lasted only seven games because of a season-ending torn pectoral muscle he suffered against Tennessee—hasn't intercepted a pass since 2008.

Baalke lamely defended the pick by explaining that a position switch in the pros isn't a big deal because the learning curve at this level is steep for everyone, and that maybe Culliver's lack of experience could be a bonus because he hasn't had the time to pick up too many bad habits.

By that logic it's fair to wonder why Baalke didn't just draft Usain Bolt then. He's very tall and can run extremely fast and hasn't had anyone to give him improper coaching yet on the proper bump-and-run technique.

In either case, whether Culliver turns into Ronnie Lott or Mike Rumph, all we know for now is the 49ers still have eight picks tomorrow, including a preposterous seven of them coming in the final two rounds, and the selections promise to get more and more anonymous as we go.

They will be big and they will be fast, that much is clear.

Can any of them play?

Your guess is as good as ours, and probably better.