Extra Points: Kaepernick, Patriots, Draft

There’s a belief that free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick‘s a behind-the-scenes distraction because of his political activism, but his previous head coach, Chip Kelly, said otherwise Wednesday. “Kap was awesome,” the former 49ers head coach told ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Jon Schlosser of All22). “You know, at the beginning of the year, he made a stance in terms of what he believed was right. We recognized and supported his ability to do that. But he never brought that into the locker room.” Kelly also denied that Kaepernick isn’t dedicated to football, saying, “He came to work every day, extremely diligent in terms of his preparation, in terms of his work ethic.”

More from around the game:

• In a detailed piece focusing on the use of analytics in the NFL, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes that teams around the league are sure the Patriots are “knee-deep in the numbers.” The reigning Super Bowl champions are “completely consistent with what sophisticated analytics would tell you to do,” said one executive, with Breer noting that the Patriots’ “analytics guy” is former Wall Street trader Ernie Adams, who’s friends with head coach Bill Belichick. Added an AFC executive: “[Belichick] does it with intuition. You know because you’ve been coaching for so long, how you match these 11 guys against those 11 guys. It all makes sense to you. At some point, maybe we can all come to those conclusions without having Bill Belichick’s brain. We’re still a long way from that.”
• While it’s unlikely to happen, the league should explore holding the draft prior to free agency, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Both the NBA and NHL do it that way, notes Florio, though he concedes that the NFL wouldn’t be able to move the draft up by much because of the combine, pro days, team visits and private workouts. As such, free agency wouldn’t open until April or May.
• As training camp approaches, the staff at ESPN.com lists one notable veteran per team who could end up off their clubs’ rosters by Week 1, whether by release or trade. Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, Bills center Eric Wood, Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny and 49ers tight end Vance McDonald are among the names.