Over the course of his senior season USC quarterback Matt Barkley saw his NFL draft stock slip from top five pick to questionable first round selection as the Trojans struggled to a 7-6 record. Looking back, Barkley wishes he had handled his senior season a bit differently once the team began struggling. "I wish I'd been more forceful," Barkley told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.
NFL Draft 2013: Matt Barkley regrets not being ‘forceful’ at USC
Barkley laments not handling the struggles of his senior season at USC differently.
Steve Dykes
More: Mocking the Draft
"I learned how to handle adversity last season, and maybe I could have done a few things differently. I could've had a bigger voice, given more input and taken it to the next level," Barkley said.
USC started the season as the preseason No. 1 and got out to a 6-1 start before falling apart and finishing 7-6. Barkley blamed himself for not taking matters into his own hands, “You put faith in your coaches, but when you see trends, things not happening the right way, and when the team rests on your shoulders, it’s almost like you have to step up.”
Where Barkley lands is one of the bigger questions in the 2013 NFL Draft, as he has been projected all over the place in mock drafts. In the latest from Mocking the Draft, Barkley does not land in the first round, but Dan Kadar indicates that he could go as high as the No. 8 overall pick to the Bills.
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