San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is heading into his third NFL season with a full head of steam. Coming off last season’s Super Bowl XLVII lost to the Baltimore Ravens, Kaepernick is budding with confidence and momentum. So much so, that many people forget to realize that he only has half of a season under his belt as a starter in the pros. Kaepernick took over the starting quarterback spot during the 2012 season after former 49ers QB Alex Smith suffered a concussion mid-way through the season. After taking control of the offense, he never looked back and led the 49ers to an improbable Super Bowl run. From now until the start of the regular season, the main question surrounding the young quarterback is, what to expect from him in 2013?

Those in the media have suggested that Kaepernick’s third year in the league will be similar to that of a sophomore slump. Many cases can be made that much of his success stemmed from the fact that no one in the league had a game plan for him. This season figures to be a more difficult one for the talented QB as majority of the league has had an entire offseason to game plan and develop ways to exploit his weaknesses and make life tough for him.

I believe that it is in everyone’s best interest as a 49ers fan to at least expect some growing pains with Kaepernick because he’s still young and learning how to play the game. He hasn’t played a full season as a starter and there are plenty of defensive schemes that have yet to be thrown his way. On the other hand, many of you same fans may argue that Kaepernick has too much skill and talent to go through a sophomore slump. He’s freakishly athletic with a lively arm, quickness, speed, strength, and explosive running ability to counter anything that even the top rated defenses will use against him. Honestly, it would be hard for me to argue against that based off the potential he displayed last season. Even if there are some forgettable moments on the horizon, I would bet my money that we have only seen the beginnings of what he’s capable of.

The report out of 49ers camp is that he’s picking up where he left off last season. On Tuesday, the first of the 49ers three-day minicamp, Kaepernick and the rest of the quarterbacks were the highlight of the day as they were all working on running the ball more in the Pistol offense. Kaepernick showed off his blazing speed and athleticism in a red-zone drill in which he kept the ball on a read option and split a couple of defenders to get into the end zone for a touchdown.

Growing pains? Sure. However, I’m not expecting anything close to sophomore slump. As he finishes up minicamp and heads into training camp, the growing experience of being a new leader on the team will serve him very well as the season approaches. He’s still adjusting to his new role, but he hasn’t left any doubt in the 49ers mind that he’s ready to accept the challenge and become a leader of men. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been raving about Colin’s ability to handle pressure and the differences he has noticed in him as his goes into his first full year as a starter.

“Well, they’ve always really been good. He’s another person he’s doing things for the second time now, in a way. It’s not going from his rookie season to his second season. But, definitely the experience he got last year playing and starting. There’s some of that aspect there. The great thing about Colin Kaepernick is the way he handles pressure. Some people don’t handle it very well because they want to be in their comfort zone. And Colin Kaepernick is somebody that thrives on it and embraces it. And there’s no question that when you’re at the top of the game, those type of players, [RB] Frank Gore, [LB] Patrick Willis, [TE] Vernon Davis, Colin Kaepernick, [DT] Justin Smith, many others who have proven themselves and have played at a very high level. There’s more pressure on them than there is for guys that have made the team. Those guys have to stay at the top. It’s the pressure to continue to get better and to thrive and be a top performer in this league. Pressure on guys trying to make the team, of course. But, there’s a lot further fall from the guys that have proven it. And the good thing about Kap is what I said at the beginning, is he thrives on that. He really embraces it. Loves to challenge himself. That kind of pressure, that kind of stress, really keeps him stimulated, keeps him motivated. His brain doesn’t get lazy. He understands what’s at stake and continues to improve in all aspects of his game from what we’ve seen.”

When it comes to Kaepernick, it’s more about him gaining experience as a leader and a starting quarterback. His talent and physical abilities are already there. I’m sure that as time goes on, his hard work and dedication to becoming an elite quarterback will only lead to tremendous improvement in his overall skillset. Once he gets the mental part of the game solidified and goes through some ups and downs, he can very well become an all-pro quarterback in a few years. With Kaepernick leading the way, the future for the 49ers may include a Super Bowl title. Maybe even a few.