NFL Draft: QB Matt Barkley

2. Matt Barkley QB USC
6’-2”, 227lbs 4.93 40yd dash
If someone told you Matt Barkley threw for more than 35oo yards, completing 63.6% of his passes with 39 touchdowns to only 7 interception you would consider that a very good season. The problem is that those were his statistics from 2011. The potential top ten pick in the 2012 NFL Draft decided to come back for his senior year and compete for a national championship, but finished the year with a disappointing 7-6 (5-4), season his USC Trojans topping it off with a 21-7 loss to Georgia Tech in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in which Barkley did not play because of a separated throwing shoulder. The perennial power Mater Dei High School(CA) graduate completed 246 of 387 passes attempted with 36 touchdowns vs. 15 interceptions and 3273yds his senior year. Certainly not the numbers he put up his junior season, include the fact he is coming off of surgery on that throwing shoulder it is easy to see why his draft stock has fallen and experts speculate that he is currently a potential 2nd or 3rd rounder. This may be a blessing in disguise for the young QB, taking any first round pressure off of him and potentially putting him in a position to sit and learn from a veteran NFL starter. Barkley needs to improve his push on the ball during certain throws as his passes tend to float if his feet aren’t in perfect position which as we know in the NFL it is not possible with the speed of defenders, to have a clean pocket on every throw. Barkley must learn to have more confidence in himself as was evident by his almost doubling the number of sacks from 8 his junior year to 15 his senior year. Some of those sacks can be attributed to poor offensive line play and perceived negative team chemistry, some are due to Barkley’s lack of confidence, maybe because of the problems he was having with the throwing shoulder. Regardless of the reason in order to be successful on the next level Barkley needs to quicken his release as there are not any good offensive lines who need a QB to protect, look around the league and it’s more than a coincidence that the best QB’s in the NFL also have the best offensive lines. Barkley has demonstrated leadership skills on the field and is a good competitive player to have in a team’s locker-room. Having played in a traditional 3, 5 and seven step drop pro-style offense his whole life means he can fit into to the schemes of a majority of NFL teams. He will need to improve his arm strength, pocket presence and accuracy if he wants to be remembered as more than a back-up QB in the league.