A four-year starter at arguably one of the top programs in the nation, USC quarterback' Matt Barkley heads into the 2013 NFL Draft as one of the top quarterbacks available. Barkley was a guaranteed first-round lock had he opted to forego his senior season in 2012, and enter last year's draft. However, Barkley made a promise to head coach Lane Kiffin to stay and try to bring home a national championship.
Barkley and the Trojans entered the 2012 campaign ranked as the top team in the country, only to see their season fall apart, finishing the season unranked and playing against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl. Barkley only hurt his draft stock by staying for his senior season, and now has to prove to scouts by interviewing well at the NFL Scouting Combine, and having a stand out pro day, that he is still worth a first-round pick.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Rank | Projection |
| 6'2" | 230 | Senior | 44 | Second Round |
Positives:
Pedigree: As mentioned before, Barkley played his entire career in a program that runs not only a pro-style offense, but a pro style program. USC is run like an NFL franchise. They are as close to professional football in Los Angeles as you can get, and are treated like so. The pressure Barkley has been under to succeed since he arrived on campus has been tremendous, and he has done extremely well from every angle.
Mechanics: Barkley possesses NFL-ready mechanics. He has good foot work in the pocket, has a good plant step to throw off of, which attributes to his accuracy. He can make nearly every NFL throw from the pocket, without much resistance to his performance. Think Christian Ponder in the pocket.
Accuracy: Barkley shows an extremely nice touch on most of his throws, but he is not flawless. Barkley, at times can put it only where the receiver can grab it or he can force it into double and triple coverage, which could be because he either doesn't trust his arm or his instincts at times.
Weaknesses:
Decision Making: While Barkley has shown the ability to make great decisions in key moments, I'm concerned that his lack of patience in certain moments during the game will be his kryptonite at the next level. As mentioned before, Barkley trusts his receivers to beat double and triple coverages, sometimes too much.
Athleticisim: Can Barkley not being a mobile quarterback hurt him at the next level, even if he's a good pocket passer? Sure can. The NFL is seemingly moving towards favoring a more mobile field general, and Barkley is not one of them. He's not Peyton Manning, but he's not Colin Kaepernick either. Again, Christian Ponder comes to mind here.
Bottom Line
While Matt Barkley may forever regret his decision to stay in school, He certainly didn't do an extreme amount of damage to his future or his draft stock. Barkley will be drafted to take over under center immediately for whichever NFL team selects him in April. I don't see Barkley as ever becoming a top tier quarterback in the NFL, I think that he's capable of leading a team to the playoffs.
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