The 49ers plan to re-sign quarterback Alex Smith and allow him to compete for the team's starting job, according to coach Jim Harbaugh. San Francisco drafted Nevada's Colin Kaepernick with the 36th overall pick on Friday. "The plan for Alex is unchanged," Harbaugh told Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "Everything we said from the very beginning: We want to get the best players on our roster that we possibly can and throw out the balls and let them compete. "Alex has the ability and the license to be the starting quarterback -- same thing I said about (outside linebacker) Aldon (Smith) yesterday. Same goes for Colin. Guys will run on their own gas. We believe in competition and earning your positions around here. With Alex, we are rowing and we're not going to miss a beat. Nothing has changed."

Garland Gregory, a former 49ers star offensive lineman and a member of the original 1946 team, has died at age 92. The 49ers announced Gregory's death Friday night. The team said he had been battling a brief illness that was not disclosed. Gregory was a native of Columbia, La., and a graduate of Louisiana Tech.

The 49ers nabbed Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick in the second round Friday, according to a Oakland Tribune report. The 49ers considered moving up to get the mobile passer late in the first round Thursday. Instead, they made their move early Friday. They swapped picks with Denver, sending their second-round pick (No. 45), a fourth-round pick (No. 108) and a fifth-round pick (No. 141) to the Broncos in order to grab Kaepernick at No. 36.

Former running back Joe Perry, who led the NFL in career rushing yards until his mark was eclipsed by Jim Brown in 1963, died Monday at the age of 84, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on its website. Perry averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his 16-year Hall of Fame career. Perry, who played fullback for the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts, was the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (1,018 in 1953 and 1,049 in 1954). He retired after the 1963 season and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969.

49ers general manager Trent Baalke admitted this week that the team has extended an "olive branch" to quarterback Alex Smith. Smith can't sign with San Francisco -- or any other team -- until the labor situation is settled and free agency begins. New coach Jim Harbaugh already has expressed confidence in Smith as a quarterback in his system, and Baalke made it clear that the 49ers made an offer for the free agent to return. "It's up to Alex to make the decision on whether he wants to be a 49er again," Baalke said. "I think Jim's made it clear. We've made it clear through the process that the olive branch has been extended."

The 49ers have a standing offer on the table for quarterback Alex Smith to return under a one-year contract, but once free agency officially begins he's expected to look elsewhere. Sources close to the former first overall pick say that he's interested in a change of scenery, especially given the negativity surrounding his play in San Francisco.

The 49ers, who have the seventh overall pick in this month's NFL Draft, reportedly met with Robert Quinn and Von Miller this past week. RealGM's Jeff Risdon has Miller, a linebacker out of Texas A&M, going third to the Bills in his latest mock draft. Risdon has Quinn, a North Carolina defensive end, going sixth to the Browns.

If he wants one, quarterback Alex Smith can begin a fresh start with the 49ers. San Francisco has an offer for a one-year contract on the table for Smith. Before the league year ended in February and before Smith became an unrestricted free agent, new coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that "talks are going on" between the 49ers and Smith's representatives.