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Barkley thinks he could've been a Redskin had he entered the Draft

Okay, so maybe those weren't his exact words, but now that I have your attention, here are the real quotes.

USC QB Matt Barkley was on the Dan Patrick Show this morning and talked a little about his decision to return to school rather than enter the NFL draft. When asked about his projected spot, Barkley had this to say:

"I had confidence that I was going to go high, it wasn’t really a question of that as to why I came back. I think it was a sure bet that Andrew was going to go No. 1."

After being asked on whether or not he thinks he would've been drafted higher than RG3, Barkley's response was:

"I had confidence in that — I think I could have been."

I don't mind the confidence, but this is where the beating of a dead horse comes in. We all love our beautiful new Quarterback, as in the last 3 months, we've made him out to be a cyborg fusion of Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, and Joe Montana. Barkley mentions in the article that he believed Cleveland, Washington, and Minnesota to have been the teams interested in him before he made his decision.

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To me, the question is this; does anyone really think Barkley would have been a better fit here had he come out? Me personally, I have to say no. Barkley's not exactly a statue, but Griffin's skill set seem to fit just what Kyle wants to do here. And with all due respect to Barkley, he looks to me as just another USC Quarterback. Don't get me wrong, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez have nothing to do with how Barkley turns out, and he has certainly had one hell of a college career, but I do see some comparisons in style between Barkley and a guy like Sanchez. It looks to me as if the touch is missing from some of Barkley's throws that call for it, just like Sanchez's. I'm not about to say Barkley busts in the NFL, because who are we to predict that? But as big as Matt Barkley would have been coming into last April's draft, I personally don't think the Redskins would have pursued him until Griffin and Luck became unavailable.

Looking at it that way, I much prefer Barkley having come out last April, as the price tag for a Robert Griffin III could have suddenly dropped. Maybe instead of trading up to 2, we trade with Minnesota at 3. Maybe Cleveland falls in love with Barkley and lets us move up for Griffin, avoiding a bidding war altogether. But of course that is all speculative.

Again, I do not think the Redskins would have paid the price they did to have moved up and gotten Barkley. Many were naming Barkley the second best QB last year when he was undecided, and many are clamoring for him now as the No. 1 overall pick if everything remains peachy from now until next April. So while Barkley doesn't say he would have been taken by Washington at #2, I'm going out on a limb and saying he was probably this teams third choice at QB. Some are also quick to say that the Redskins still would've taken RG3 over Luck had he been available, but who knows.

What does everyone think about Barkley and his self projection? Does anyone think his saying so is justified? Maybe some feel he will be better than Griffin.

Here's the link to the article btw: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/17/matt-barkley-confident-he-would-have-been-drafted-ahead-of-rgiii/