On the heels of Russell Wilson's Seattle Seahawks getting the perfect complimentary wide receiver in Percy Harvin, it's time to examine his young conference foe at the QB position in Colin Kaepernick.
In 2012 the 49ers featured a decent group of guys that complimented each other's strengths and weaknesses, but often times you were left wondering if just one more piece would have been enough to have gotten them the Lombardi trophy.
First let's examine the numbers and see how each player fits with the young read option QB.
Fits: Michael Crabtree finally had the breakout season 49er faithful always believed he could, after watching his highlights at Texas Tech. With 1,105 yards to go along with 9 touchdowns, Crabtree was the perfect guy for Colin for two reasons. He's shifty in short areas and consistently makes things happen in the screen game and slant passes, something that's instrumental for a young QB. However, he doesn't possess the athleticism to take over a game the way a Brandon Marshall, Calvin Johnson, or Larry Fitzgerald can. Still, he fits.
Fits: Vernon Davis on the other hand, is the athletic freak of nature who comes up big in clutch situations, but too often he disappeared in games partly because he gets rubbed out by press-coverage, but also because he was asked to do too much as a blocker - which is important, just ask RGIII. Still, his 548 yards and 5 touchdowns are decent production, but frustrating to know it could be nearly twice that.
Need Replacing: The rest of the team is rounded out by Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams, and Ted Ginn. None of those names strike fear into the hearts of NFL defenses, which would have been acceptable if first round selection A.J. Jenkins would have been able to see the field, but he didn't. Also to consider, Walker is a free agent and the Niners are expected to make some cuts.
Fits: San Francisco made one positive move already in trading a sixth round pick for Anquan Boldin. He's exactly what Colin needs when he scrambles outside of the pocket. Boldin possesses strong hands and good body positioning for when things break down and need to be improvised. He's not the fastest guy anymore, and durability at his age is a concern, but with Colin running the option he becomes the perfect downfield blocker that he needs.
That's really what all of this comes down to: the read option. In order for it to be successful, Kaepernick needs two have good blockers on the edges and wide receivers that can separate quickly. They have part of it, but what they really need is another TE like Stanford's Zack Ertz - who just happens to have been coached by Harbuagh. Ertz is someone who can run up the seem for when Colin rolls out, but he's also a willing blocker that would free up Vernon Davis to wreak havoc on smaller corners with his 4.3 speed. Toss in a legitimate deep threat in the second or third round like a Stedman bailey from WVU or Marcus Wheaton from Oregon State and you have all the makings of a dynamic offense that defenses won't be able to stack the box against, and will have to figure out some way to contain Colin Kaepernick from running free from the pocket and straight into the endzone. Find players like that, and the 49ers could have a top 5 QB on their hands in the next few years.
Packers fans will remember the moment everyone thought Kaepernick "arrived".