Behind a few dozen computers, Jon Gruden sits in his chair with neatly organized stacks of paper to each side of him. The former Super Bowl-winning head coach is sitting in between an esteemed draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr., and a legendary ESPN sports show host, Chris Berman. He probably has more football knowledge than the two combined, but he’s been forced to pare it down to only a dozen words for his viewers (and colleagues) to understand during the 2011 draft.
It’s the San Francisco 49ers’ choice now and Dwight Clark, a receiver famed for “The Catch”, walks across the platform to announce it. More than 30 years earlier, he was the first player selected in the 10th round of the 1979 draft, but he worked his way up to become one of the most memorable pass-catchers in NFL history.
“With pick No. 36 in the 2011 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Colin Kaepernick, quarterback, Nevada,” Clark announced.
Gruden turned around, smiled and rubbed his hands together. He waited for Kiper to finish an evaluation of the signal-caller, which consisted of the usual scouting terminology that’s seemingly applied to every other “unorthodox” and “developmental” quarterback. Now it was Gruden’s turn.
“I think you need a guy that can create plays with his legs. This is a legitimate dual-threat. He can run and throw. I do think he needs development. He hasn’t been underneath the center. He’s been in that Pistol offense,” Gruden said. “The more you watch Nevada, Reno, the more you want to put their offense in. I mean, they shred people. That’s a heck of an offense.”
Heck of an offense, indeed.
