Know Your Enemy, Tennessee Titans: 5 Q’s with Stripe Hype Editor Jason Marcum

Aug 8, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws a pass against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Joshua: Colin Kaepernick was drafted with the 36th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft—just one pick after Dalton (35th). How often do fans point that out and think “had the Bengals drafted Kaepernick, they’re the team who wins a conference championship, not the San Francisco 49ers or Baltimore Ravens?”

Jason: I haven’t heard a lot of regret about that move. Remember, Colin didn’t play hardly at all during his rookie season, while Dalton started 16 games, threw 20 TDs, and helped get his team into the playoffs. Could Kaepernick have done that in his rookie year?

Probably not, and given the circumstances the Bengals were in when the 2011 NFL Draft took place, they’d just lost their franchise QB in Carson Palmer retire, and needed someone to come in and immediately help revitalize the franchise.
Dalton did that, and while he might not ultimately ever be as good as Kaepernick, both players ended up in the best situations possible to help them succeed as early as possible.