Sources: Barkley Not Throwing At NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS (CBSLA.com) — Quarterback Matt Barkley will be taking part in running and jumping drills for this week's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but sources say he will not be throwing.
Barkley, 22, is still recovering from a separated shoulder, which was aggravated during a 38-28 loss to UCLA on Nov. 18. The injury kept him from participating in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 21, which USC lost to Georgia Tech 21-7.
It is reported that the shoulder is 85 to 90 percent recovered, but NFL.com's Ian Rapoport has confirmed that Barkley has not been medically cleared to throw.
Barkley has spent the past month in Birmingham, Ala. as the rehabilitation of his shoulder is under the handling of Dr. James Andrews.
The senior Trojan is rated as the No. 2 quarterback, behind West Virginia's Geno Smith. The Kansas City Chiefs possess the No. 1 overall pick and are in need of a quarterback. However, general manager John Dorsey says that there is no clear-cut top quarterback, and that none of the QBs are even definite first-rounders going into the draft.
Other quarterbacks that are expected to take part in throwing drills at the combine include Smith, N.C. State's Mike Glennon, and Arkansas' Tyler Wilson.
CBSSports.com draft analyst Rob Rang spoke on the abilities of the 6-2, 230-pound quarterback. "(Barkley) does not possess elite velocity," Rang suggested. "But (he) has enough arm strength to make every NFL throw and is consistently accurate, including when on the move."
The NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled to begin on Saturday Feb. 23 and run through Feb. 26.
