49ers’ Colin Kaepernick back on the field with teammates after surgery

Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback who had minor surgery on his left leg, is back on the field practicing with teammates according to a report from the Sacramento Bee.

Kaepernick is a second-round draft pick that the 49ers traded second, fourth, and fifth round draft picks in order to move up in the draft to get him.

The surgery was done sometime after the draft and the 49ers were aware his pre-existing injury before the draft.

At the time, the 49ers said they had no concerns regarding his health and are confident that he will be ready for the 2011 NFL season.

The 2011 NFL season is in jeopardy due to a protracted labor dispute between the owners and players. The owners recently got approval from an appeals court judge to continue their lockout.

The lockout has forced players to organize unofficial practices on their own. The workouts that Kaepernick began participating in are led by Alex Smith, the presumed to be returning 49ers quarterback, who has indicated to the team that he will re-sign.

Prior to being drafted, Kaepernick was a star at Nevada, becoming the only player in NCAA history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in his college career.

Many believe that Kaepernick was handpicked by Coach Jim Harbaugh to possibly be the quarterback of the future for the team. Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, has a reputation for developing quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, star of the Stanford football team.

The fact that Kaepernick is starting to practice with teammates is a positive sign for his early development in getting past the surgery. Now, the only thing standing in his way is the NFL labor dispute.