NFL Notes: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Colin Kaepernick, Kyle Hamilton

Colin Kaepernick

Former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick seems to be making a renewed push to try and make it back to the league, conducting informal throwing sessions with NFL players in recent weeks that have been clipped to social medai. Kaepernick had the chance to have a more formal exhibition at Michigan, however, with HC Jim Harbaugh bringing him in as an honorary captain and conducting a workout during halftime of their spring game. 

“We still can get out there and sling it,” Kaepernick said via WXYZ’s Jeanna Trotman. “Really, getting out here today for the exhibition was to be able to show that I can do that. Because one of the questions that my agent kept getting was, ‘Well, it’s been five years. Can he still play?’ So we want to make sure we can come out, show everyone I can still play, still throw it. And really just looking for an opportunity for a door to open, to have that be a pathway to be able to get back in there, get a starting job and lead a team to a championship.”

After five years away, Kaepernick acknowledged there will be questions. He says he’s open to taking a backup job to get his foot in the door and prove he still has ability. 

“I can help make you a better team. I can help you win games,” he said. “I know right now the situation likely won’t allow me to come in and step into a starting role. I know I’ll be able to work my way to that and show that very quickly.”

Kayvon Thibodeaux

• ESPN’s Matt Miller says he has talked with half a dozen scouts who have said Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux did not interview well with their teams. Scouts didn’t question Thibodeaux’s talent so much but Miller did run into a lot of questions about his effort level. 
• Thibodeaux sprained his ankle in September and Miller says scouts and people in the Oregon program thought he played more timidly after that. 
• Miller notes the Lions or Texans could still select Thibodeaux at No. 2 or No. 3 but a number of league sources expect him to fall out of the top five and maybe even the top ten. 

Kyle Hamilton

• ESPN’s Matt Miller says after Notre Dame’s S Kyle Hamilton‘s workout circuit and Combine, there’s a sense he could slip in the first round. Hamilton ran a 4.7 second 40-yard dash at his pro day.