Southern Cal quarterback Matt Barkley won’t throw this weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he said that the shoulder issue that’s keeping him from it wouldn’t be an issue for long.
Barkley told reporters he’d be more than ready to throw by his March 27 Pro Day, and he’s already explained to teams his decision to wait until then because of a separated shoulder suffered last season.
Of course, there were questions about Barkley’s arm strength before his decision to skip Combine workouts.
Asked about the suggestion he doesn’t have an NFL arm, Barkley said “I would disagree,” and insisted he was not only going to be healthy enough to make all the throws, but prepared to do more than that.
“I plan to start right away,” he replied, when asked about the possibility of beginning his career as a backup. “My goal is to be playing in September.”
Now all he has to do is perform well enough at his Pro Day to finish convincing someone to give him that opportunity.