Matt Barkley To Skip NFL In 2012
By Brian Miller
If the Miami Dolphins want a franchise signal caller in the 2012 draft, they are going to have one less option. Matt Barkley, the USC junior QB announced today that he will return to the Trojans in 2012 and put his NFL career on hold for another season.
Citing “unfinished business at USC“, Barkley jumps to the head of the 2013 draft class as the leading candidate to go number one overall. That however is another long football season away. For the Miami Dolphins, it means that nabbing a franchise QB with their first round pick will mean they will almost have to trade up to get one and it could mean a trade up to as high as number 2.
After Stanford QB Andrew Luck is plucked off the board at the number one spot, the undeniable second best QB will be Robert Griffith, III from Baylor. RGIII now has no competition for that coveted 2nd QB slotting and with the number of teams seeking help at the position, his stock took a big leap simply by Barkley’s announcement. Currently the Dolphins will be slotted between 7 and 10 depending on how the remaining two weeks play out.
In addition to the jumping of RGIII’s stock, the compensation to move up to number 1, 2, or 3 also likely increased. With only two top 10 QB’s entering the draft thus far and easily four teams, Miami, Cleveland, Washington, and Seattle looking for QB help, the pricetag just went up. It is also being speculated by Indy beat writers that talk around the water cooler in Colts camp is that the Colts will keep Peyton Manning and draft Andrew Luck to learn from one of the best in the league.
Behind RGIII, the list of possible QB’s thins out quite a bit. Landry Jones of Oklahoma has yet to make his intentions known. Jones is expected to be a mid-late first round pick who could fall into round 2. If the Dolphins decide that the price to move up is too costly or doesn’t present itself as an opportunity, the team could opt to wait until round 2 where Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill is likely to be taken off draft boards. If the Dolphins do decide to wait until round 2, they may have to again entertain thoughts of moving up in round 2 to get him…or anyone else.
The Dolphins are in dire need of a franchise QB. Not just to lead the team on the field come Sunday’s but to put fans back in the seats. Miami fans currently have no faith in owner Stephen Ross or GM Jeff Ireland and while the addition of Carl Peterson as team President would likely be a good thing for the team, it’s not a move that has fans believing the long drought of a playoff caliber team will end, anytime soon.
For Jeff Ireland the decision is simple, throw everything you got to move up to grab RGIII or wait it out and see what happens. Of course if you are willing to toss out the kitchen sink to move up to the number 2 or 3 slot to grab RGIII, why not toss in the fridge and go for some Luck?