Kaepernick had minor surgical procedure after draft

Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers’ second-round draft pick, had a minor surgical procedure on his lower left leg earlier this month, the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows reported this afternoon.

In an interview with The Bee, the former Nevada quarterback said the injury will not have any long-term effects and he fully expects to be ready for training camp. Kaepernick declined to specify the nature of the injury.

The 49ers released a statement regarding the surgical procedure, which was conducted at Stanford Hospital: “The 49ers are aware that Colin Kaepernick underwent a procedure to address a pre-existing injury and were fully aware of the injury at the time of the draft. The 49ers have no concerns regarding his health and are confident that he will be ready for the 2011 NFL season.”

Kaepernick is the only quarterback in NCAA history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000. His speed and athleticism are among the qualities that made him attractive to the Niners, who traded a fourth- and a fifth-round pick to Denver to move up nine spots and select him with the No. 36 overall pick in the draft.

Kaepernick said he played through the injury during the final four games of Nevada’s season. His injury did not prevent him from averaging 14.3 rushing attempts, but his rushing totals did take a modest dip. In the season’s final four games, Kaepernick averaged 64.3 rushing yards a game and 5.6 yards per carry. In the season’s first 10 games, he averaged 94.9 yards and 7.5 yards per attempt.

Kaepernick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the NFL Combine in late February, the second-fastest time among the 17 quarterbacks who ran at the event.

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