Name: Matt Barkley
School: USC
Position: QB
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 230
What the Numbers Say: 2012 was a very disappointing year for Barkley and the Trojans as a whole. It started with him passing on the NFL Draft, where most people projected him to go in the upper third of the first round. Expectations were high, as USC was ranked #1 to start the season, and had nothing but the BCS title game on their minds. Barkley was an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy and eventually the #1 overall pick….but then the season started, and things went down, and down hard. After two great games against Hawaii and Syracuse, Barkley struggled on the road at Stanford, as he completed only 48% of his passes and threw two picks in the loss. Barkley and USC seemed to rebound however winning four in a row behind the passing attack of #7, but then things once again turned south. After starting 6-1, USC would only win one of the next four, and Barkley threw multiple INTs in all four of those games. To add insult to injury, Barkley injured his throwing shoulder in a loss to UCLA, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
What Barkley is Saying: Barkley is choosing to pass on the NFL combine due to his ailing shoulder, which despite previous reports is clearly still not 100%. A lot of the other top QB’s have chosen to throw at the combine, so we will see if that helps or hurts Barkley’s draft stock. He has confirmed however that he should be available for 100% of the work at USC’s pro day March 27th.
Projection: A year ago, Barkley seemed like a lock for a top ten pick. Now, he will be lucky to go in the first round after a disastrous year. If he lights it up at his pro day (as much as one can in a tee and shorts) then he may go late in round one, but for now he looks like a second round pick.
