Panini America Investigates the Rising Cost of Colin Kaepernick (Gallery & Video)

It seemed nothing short of poetic when the San Francisco 49ers traded up in the 2011 NFL Draft to nab Colin Kapernick, the profusely athletic hometown hero from the University of Nevada by way of California’s Pitman High School. But the buzz largely subsided when Kaepernick spent most of his rookie season backing up Alex Smith and watching as the 49ers made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.