Two of the hardest-throwing quarterbacks in the NFL world squared off at Ravens-49ers practice the past three days.
The Ravens' Joe Flacco and 49ers' Colin Kaepernick lit it up on the practice fields.
After getting an extended, up-close-and-personal look at each other, Kaepernick was asked who throws harder.
"I'm always going to vote for myself on that one," Kaepernick said with a laugh.
"But I think he has the most relaxed throw that comes out hot. He just looks effortless when he's throwing the ball, and he might drop it 70 yards."
There aren't any radar guns on the field, so it's impossible to get a true test nowadays.
The last time each quarterback had the speed of their passes timed was when they were participating in the combine. They started keeping those records in 2008, the same year Flacco was in the draft.
According to records kept by Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz, Flacco was clocked at 58 mph. Kaepernick, reportedly, was at 59 mph in 2011.
So Kap barely edged him out – at least when they were draft prospects.
Kaepernick was tied for the combine's fastest-ever throw until Logan Thomas (Virginia Tech/Arizona Cardinals) broke it in February with a 60 mph toss. Flacco's 58 mph throw would now be tied for eighth.
Judging with the naked eye, Kaepernick seemed to throw harder than Flacco on short and intermediate passes while Flacco, who threw a staggering 74 yards in a long-toss competition in 2008, had more gas on his deep throws.
Bottom line is they both throw really, really hard.
