2011 NFL Draft: Oakland Raiders to Work Out Colin Kaepernick; What’s the Deal?

The Oakland Raiders have scheduled a private workout with Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

A Turlock native, Kaepernick grew up in a small town in the valley of California. Colin described himself as a "late bloomer."

Kaepernick only received one scholarship offer, and hastily accepted.

Now the 6'4", 230-pound quarterback is quickly rising up draft boards and went from a late third-round pick to an early second-round selection. He's described as a player with smarts and athletic ability to go along with a big-time arm.

Clearly, he's an Al Davis player; a typical Oakland Raider quarterback.

To tell you the truth, though, I'm pretty stumped as to why the Raiders are working him out.

Colin will be a good player in this league, especially in the correct environment, but I just don't see how he'll be available at No. 48. That means the Raiders could be looking to trade up.

That's fine and dandy, but trading up for a quarterback when we have Jason Campbell? No way.

I wouldn't have a problem with Kaepernick if we had a guy like Donovan McNabb at quarterback and had just come off a playoff year.

But we have a young Campbell who is entering the prime of his career. I think it's way too early to be looking at quarterbacks.

You never know, though. I can't blame the Raiders for making sure they know their options. However, we desperately need to fix the offensive line this year.

If we can do that, Campbell will succeed.

You also have to look at the possibility of a smokescreen here. The Raiders could be looking to trade up, but not for a guy like Kaepernick. A team could stress out and trade for a pick before the Raiders, thus allowing Oakland to have a larger selection of players.

Example:

Raiders trade up to No. 28.

Vikings panic, trade up to No. 27, take Kaepernick.

Let's say M...

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