2013 NFL Draft: Matt Barkley Things His Arm Will Get Stronger After Injury
By Mike Dyce
November 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) before being introduced at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Barkley sat out the NFL Scouting Combine as he recovers from an injury, but he expects to be ready in time for USC’s pro day where we will show off his talents. Lane Kiffin, his head coach at USC, has come out to show his support for Matt Barkley and guarantee any team that drafts him will have a franchise quarterback in their midst.
Matt Barkley went on The Mighty 1090 in San Diego to give an update on his injury.
“It’s been a long, patient journey, but I’ve had some time to recover now and I’ve been throwing quite some time at this point, to where I’ve been throwing this week [with] great velocity, great trajectory,” Barkley said, via Sports Radio Interviews. “It’s starting to feel back to normal. No doubt, by the time pro day comes around, it’ll be better than it was before. I think I’ll have a stronger arm than I did.”
A stronger arm after injury? That’s a bold and confident statement. But the strong arm isn’t the only quality he brings to his future NFL team.
“I’ve kind of learned to lead differently,” Barkley said. “I think, naturally, I’m a leader by example, a guy who will get there early and do things right and guys will see that. … But I’ve learned to be a vocal leader, get in the guy’s face if you have to, fire them up. … At the same time, you’ve got to know when to take a guy off to the side and talk to them one-on-one because that’s how they learn best.”
But none of the draft process seems to be getting to the young quarterback.
“I haven’t really found any of this to be stressful at all. I think you really only get anxious and nervous when you’re unprepared or you don’t trust in your future. Yeah, there are some unknowns — what’s going to happen, where I’m going to end up — but I’ve really just savored this whole process just in terms of the interviews and rehab, knowing that I’ll end up where I need to be.”