Colin Kaepernick and 7 other QBs drafted by baseball teams

Once upon a time, John Elway, Dan Marino, and Tom Brady were MLB prospects

John Elway swings at a pitch during a 1998 All-Star Home Run Derby, which, really, is unfair considering the quarterback almost played professionally.
(Image credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport/Getty Images)

San Francisco 49ers phenom Colin Kaepernick has come from nowhere to become one of the most exciting players in the NFL. The second-year quarterback with a rifle arm and incredible speed set an NFL playoff record for rushing yards by a quarterback in the 49ers' rout of the Green Bay Packers, and now his team is favored heading into a Super Bowl matchup with the gritty, veteran Baltimore Ravens. In a season dominated by rookie sensations Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson, suddenly it's Colin Kaepernick who's the toast of Super Bowl celebrations in New Orleans.

But Kaepernick's football success was hardly pre-ordained. He was riding the bench before starter Alex Smith got injured earlier this season, and well before that, Kaepernick was a 2009 draft pick of baseball's Chicago Cubs. Indeed, during high school in California, Kaepernick was an all-state pitcher, but elected to spurn baseball offers to pursue football. The Cubs still took a chance with a 43rd round pick, but it just wasn't meant to be.

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Danny Groner is the manager of blogger partnerships & outreach for Shutterstock. He is also a freelance writer who was once described by a blogger as "a walking Wikipedia."