Denver Broncos traded Kaepernick away
John Elway and the Denver Broncos traded the No. 36 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Now, that No. 36 pick represents the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
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The Broncos also had the second pick in the draft, where they selected linebacker Von Miller, who was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. So it wasn’t a complete loss.
It was the first draft for John Elway who stated he wanted “draft capital.” Basically, he wanted more picks to work with and build the team around.
When they traded the 36th pick of the draft to the 49ers they received a second-round pick (45th overall), a fourth-round pick (108th overall) and a fifth-round pick (141st overall).
The 49ers drafted Colin Kaepernick and in exchange the Broncos received Rahim Moore, Quinton Carter and traded the fifth-round pick.
Under Chris Ault at Nevada-Reno, Kaepernick threw for at least 20 touchdowns and rushed for at least 1,100 yards in three of four seasons. His dynamic ability changed the way the Pistol offense was looked at by College Football and the NFL.
While Peyton Manning isn’t too shabby of an alternative, it’s always fun to look back and see what could have been.
