There is a special place in Jim Harbaugh's heart - which, incidentally, is shaped like a football - for guys who attack the game with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

Colin Kaepernick is one of those rare birds.

"There's something special in what drives him," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick Wednesday.

Another player on Harbaugh's short list of inhumanly eager beavers is rookie wide receiver Quinton Patton from Louisiana Tech.

They are at polar-opposite ends of the star spectrum. Kaepernick has been on every magazine cover published in the last three months. Patton has not.

Football people wonder if Kaepernick will make the Hall of Fame. They wonder if Patton will make the 49ers.

But Harbaugh, I'm guessing, loves 'em equally.

Harbaugh and Kaepernick bonded instantly, when the coach drove to Reno to check out the hotshot college passer whose pro potential was iffy. They played catch, Kaepernick rudely dusted Harbaugh in a couple of passing contests, and it was game-on.

Patton was another case of love at first sight for Harbaugh. More accurately, love before first sight.

A couple days after the 49ers drafted Patton in the fourth round, 128th overall, he packed his bags back home in Nashville, told friends and family he was off to conquer the NFL, bought himself an airline ticket to the Bay Area, rented a car and phoned the 49ers' office for directions.

"No!" Patton was instructed. "You can't be here! Turn around and go home!"

League guidelines prohibit rookies from reporting before specific dates. Had Patton driven to the team complex, the 49ers faced a big fine.

Patton sadly U-turned, but he flew to Louisville, embarrassed to return home one day after his triumphant departure.

Was Harbaugh mad at the rookie's bonehead move? Yes, madly in love. Harbaugh told the story on KNBR, said he couldn't wait for the youngster to arrive for real so he could give him a hug.

"It's going to be rough if you have to cut him," said interviewer Eric Byrnes.

"That's not going to happen," Harbaugh said.

As heartfelt as that statement was, it's not legally binding. The 49ers are thin at wide receiver, but early in camp Patton jammed a finger on a bullet pass from Kaepernick, and Patton's pass-catching is medically restricted.

(Last season it was Randy Moss and who got Kaeper-nicked.)

But Patton still scrimmages, catching one-handed, working practices like a puppy at a Frisbee fest.

First day of camp Patton ran up to 10-year veteran Anquan Boldin and introduced himself with much eagerness. The ultra-reserved Boldin looked at Patton as if he had just hopped out of a hovering UFO. Now they get along fine.

Is Patton still extra enthusiastic?

"Yessir, yessir, happy to be out here every day," he said, and I glanced over my shoulder to see if he was talking to the school principal. "Some people are more quiet on the field, you know what I'm saying? This is what I do, I just love being out there, I show my love for the game, go out there, holler, run around, all of that."

Do the vets ever tell him to dial it back?

"Nah, they tell me keep going, always keep it up. 'Cause I made my mark as a loud, enthusiastic guy. 'Keep it up, just don't be a distraction for the other players.' "

Patton says he wasn't always this exuberant, not until his position coach at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, Kelton Copeland, told the kid to either crank up the energy level or look for a job outside of football.

"I wasn't lazy," Patton said, "but I wasn't a hard-working person."

Harbaugh and Patton had a chat when Patton finally legally reported, but no hug.

"Nah, he ain't give me my hug yet," Patton said with a smile. "I guess I got to make some plays first before I get a hug."

Kaepernick doesn't have Patton's eager-rookie vibe, but he's no less the maniacal footballer Harbaugh spotted as the 49ers' future three years ago.

"He's the type of player who studies the game plan," Harbaugh said Wednesday, "studies the ready list, studies our practice tape, opponent's tape, and somebody that contributes to the game plan and formulates ideas, asks questions, knows what everybody on the offense is doing, and getting very good at understanding defenses and what they're trying to accomplish and what their adjustments are. Still evolving. ... Continues to learn. Continues to grow. He's always eager to learn, always eager to understand, eager to have input, as well."

When - if - Kaepernick and Patton hook up for their first joint touchdown, it's going to be a hell of a celebration.