Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley has decided not to enter the 2012 NFL Draft, choosing instead to lead the Trojans offense again next season on a quest for a National Championship.
While Barkley believes he is NFL-ready and would have probably been a top 10 pick in this upcoming draft, he also wants to help his team attend to "unfinished business." USC is bowl eligible again next season for the first time since the Reggie Bush scandal.
A 6-2, 220-pound true junior, Barkley threw for 3,528 yards, 39 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 2011. The former top recruit in the nation led the Trojans to a 10-2 record and a #5 ranking at the conclusion of the season. There is a very realistic chance Barkley could become, not only a Heisman Trophy winner, but the top pick in the 2013 draft with another season like this past year in which he played at a higher level towards the end of the season and moved from being a "solid" to a "great" college quarterback. Barkley led an underdog team in games against Stanford, Oregon, and Notre Dame and threw 10 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions in those games - wins against Notre Dame and #4 Oregon and a triple overtime loss to #6 Stanford.
The question is if Barkley can duplicate the success he had this season under more intense scrutiny and a Senior Bowl performance added on at the end of the year. The pieces are place to do so with a top receiving corps in the nation, led by Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, but he will miss his left tackle Matt Kalil who declared for the draft earlier this week. However, should he not, Barkley does not have the great size or arm strength that other college quarterbacks do, which would surely impact his draft status.
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