In recent memory Southern California has had something of an honorary quarterback producing pedigree, though for the life of me I can’t figure out why. Todd Marinovich, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain, and Matt Cassel haven’t exactly lit up the NFL.
Matt Barkley, the latest four year starter and Trojan product has garnered plenty of hype from the media and fans. During the last two off-seasons he was speculated as a first round, if not top, pick by many–though my own studies on him haven’t elicited the same reaction in me.
Size: Barkley will measure in the high range of 6’1″to low 6’2″ when the combine rolls around. Not ideal height for an NFL quarterback. Recent successes of Drew Brees and rookie Russell Wilson have some more willing to forgive his height deficiencies, but Barkley lacks the athleticism and skill sets of both Wilson and Brees. Both of whom are succeeding in offenses designed to boot the QB to the edge to take advantage of their athleticism.
Arm Strength: This is another area where I find Barkley’s skill set lacking. When required to drive the ball across the field (for instance on the deep out) the ball hangs on him. He doesn’t have the ability to muscle it in at the next level, and that’s really a deal breaker for me. He has average velocity in the mid range game, but struggles vertically. In the NFL, defensive backs break on the ball much more quickly, and many of the passes Barkley throws in college would be picked off at the NFL level. Barkley has also benefited from throwing to standout receivers like Woods and Lee.
Accuracy: Barkley does extremely well in the short and intermediate game, mostly placing the ball where only his intended receiver has a chance to make a play on it. He uses appropriate velocity and touch, and attempts to hit his receiver in stride, allowing for greater yards after the catch. For the most part he spins a clean catchable football, with a tight rotation, though it will flutter on him the further he has to throw it. The deep ball consistently wobbled on him.
Mechanics: Barkley exhibits natural bend at the knees and balance with his footwork in the pocket, is almost always in an effective throwing position. He commands an impressive feel in the pocket, subtly moves away from pressure, keeps eye level down the field. He has a decent release, and gets the ball out fairly quickly once the motion has begun, but I’ve noticed he’ll hang on to the ball a tad long due to the superior athleticism of his offensive line often giving him time he wouldn’t otherwise have.
Athleticism: Not a highly athletic quarterback, Barkley does have an impressive feel for the pocket, however. He’s not an improvisational guy, and is not going to buy you time or yardage with his legs once the play breaks down.
Pre/Post snap Reads: Barkley goes through his progressions very well, and can work his way quickly across the field and back to his check down, though in my opinion I often found him attempting to be “too safe” with the football, checking down when he could have taken a chance. He displays natural timing and knows when the football needs to come out and rarely is late, even when throwing to secondary and tertiary targets. Very safe with the football under pressure, preferring to throw to the check down when pressured.
Pocket Poise: Barkley looks very comfortable in the pocket. He has a natural slide step he uses to avoid pressure. He is something of a rhythm/timing passer, and will get flustered if you take him out of rhythm early.
Intangibles: Four year starter at a premier football university. Has been in the spotlight, and seems to know how to handle the pressures of it. He is a high football IQ guy, definitely has “it” from the neck up.
Character: No known character issues at this time.
Overall: Barkley rides a lot of hype from the media, and obviously for being the starter at USC, I just don’t see a first round/franchise caliber quarterback here, though. His tools are middling, and he lacks the “plus athleticism” to overcome that. When I look at Barkley I’m reminded a lot of Trent Dilfer (in the way he played the game), or Christian Ponder without the athleticism….a guy with a wealth of football knowledge, who has/had a middle of the road skill set, and will need a good team around him to be successful. I wouldn’t pin my Super Bowl hopes to him, though.
All in all, I wouldn’t touch Barkley in the first round. He’s not a franchise caliber quarterback, he’s a journeyman backup type, and I just can’t justify spending anything very high on him. Someone will reach for him earlier than warranted though, most likely.
Start this off by saying I enjoy thoroughly watching USC lose and Lane Kiffin fail, so don’t mistake my comments here for some USC homer.
I’m curious, are you pulling a Bayless here? Trying for shock value to get a bunch of pageviews? Your analysis/comparisons for Barkley seem flawed.
However I do have to say I got a decent laugh from the contention that Drew Brees Pro success was correlated to them running a roll out offense to place him on the edges of a defense. Seriously?? Yes they use boot action, so does every other team in the NFL. And yes the Saints are one of the best PA passing teams.(They’re one of the best offensive teams in football so that would probably make sense….)Trying to say that the only way Brees has had success is because of this feature of their offense is a joke.
Also your comparison to him and Dilfer is laughable at best. Dilfer is 6’4, had a cannon for an arm and had far worse pocket presence than Barkley has now.
Yes Barkley is undersized for the typical NFL playcaller, yes his arm isn’t a cannon, but neither of those is going to keep him out of the 1st round. If Gabbert, Ponder, and Locker were all drafted by in the top 10 picks of what was a much stronger overall draft in 2011 there is no doubt Barkley will go in the 1st round, and likely inside the top 15 picks.
Bayless? Not at all, I abhor the man, and his tactics for attention. Besides, If I were simply trying to provide a contrarian opinion for attention’s sake, wouldn’t you think I’d use a better attention seeking headline than “Scouting Report: Matt Barkley?”
No my opinion on the guy is simply that, an honest evaluation in “Cliff Notes” form.
I’m not saying the sole reason Brees (and also Russell Wilson) have success is booting them to the edge, I was merely pointing out that their athleticism allows for a greater implementation of off PA Boot concepts, than a guy like Barkley would. Barkley doesn’t have the athleticism of Brees or Wilson. That’s evident at first glance on tape. There are many things there respective teams to to hep compensate for their height (wider splits in the O-line, etc).
As for Dilfer, I think you simply dont remember the man, or are confusing him with someone else. He absolutely did NOT have a “cannon.” Barkley may not be as tall as Dilfer, bt he plays the game in a very similar manner. Both had/have high football IQs, but really lack the requisite football velocity to be anything more than a journeyman/backup type in the NFL. If you can’t drive the football, you’re going to get picked off a lot in the NFL. Go back and look at Dilfer’s game tape. That’s why he was intercepted so much.
As far as where Barkley will be selected, some team will overreach for him in the first round most likely, but I certainly wouldn’t advise it unless you’re looking for a first round backup. Guys like Geno Smith, Tyler Wilson, Zac Dysert, Mike Glennon, Ryan Nassib offer more in terms of a potential franchise QB.
I have him as a Top 10 draft prospect. I don’t care about his height and his arm strength seems adequate. There is a reason last year that he was regarded a better prospect than RG3 by some. His skill position players dropped a lot of balls and his offensive line was pretty bad in pass protection. He was under pressure a lot of the time.