LOOK: Colin Kaepernick given special honor at Michigan football practice
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was given a special honor by Michigan while attending one of their Spring practices. Kaepernick was named honorary captain for Saturday’s Maize and Blue Spring Game and presented with a Michigan Wolverines jersey featuring his name and number.
Colin Kaepernick attends Michigan practice
In a moment sure to inspire the young talent at Michigan, Kaepernick visited with his former coach’s team and was named an honorary captain for the Maize vs. Gold game this Saturday. Kaepernick played all of his college career for Nevada before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in coach Jim Harbaugh’s first year with San Francisco. In Kaepernick’s second season, Harbaugh named him starter as the pair found immediate success with the 49ers.
Harbaugh reached the NFC Championship game in his first three seasons as head coach, including a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl 47. Kaepernick and Harbaugh lost to Harbaugh’s brother, John Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, their time together was short as Harbaugh moved on from the organization after just four seasons with the team. Kaepernick himself was not with the 49ers much longer, after exiting the NFL in 2016 after a combination of injuries and a seeming ostracization for his kneeling during the National Anthem.
Michigan’s Maize & Gold game is an annual tradition for the team as it gears up for the regular season’s beginning, and is a great look at the players that are carving out their spots on the team. The scrimmage is open to the public and pits players against each other on Team Maize or Team Gold, the Michigan school colors.
Aidan Hutchinson’s mock draft position
As one former NFL star visits the team, another former Michigan star is ready to begin his professional career. Early in the mock draft process, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay disagreed on who the No. 1 pick should be. Now less than a month before the draft, things have changed — and the two reached a consensus on the top pick.
The two decided the Jacksonville Jaguars are the perfect landing spot for former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson. That’s a stark contrast from early on when McShay said Evan Neal should go No. 1 and Kiper even listed Ikem Ekwonu in the top spot, as well.
Now, they’re changing their tune to agree.
“First of all, you are set at offensive tackle even if it’s just for one year,” McShay said on “First Draft” with Kiper and Field Yates. “So that, in my opinion, takes Evan Neal — the offensive tackle from Alabama — and Ikem Ekwonu from NC State out of the picture. With Hutchinson, you’re getting the player, you’re getting the production. You’re getting the sacks, the tackles for loss, the run defense and you’re getting a cornerstone type of leader. And I think if you’re Jacksonville, you’re looking for that kind of impact player and a player that you can build around moving forward, Mel.
“So, to me, Hutchinson [is] probably the easiest pick here in the top 10. I don’t know how much of a discussion that we even need to have at this No. 1 spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.