Why I think Matt Barkley will be a decent QB in the NFL.

This is just a hunch (and yes, my opinion is of little value), but going back to the last several USC quarterbacks who have been drafted into the NFL, there's a particular trait I've noticed, that seems to determine how successful they are.

Competitive anger.

When a receiver drops an easy catch, you'll sometimes see a quarterback run to that guy and yell at him.  When a quarterback throws an interception, they chase down the player and try to make the tackle.  When a quarterback sees someone out of formation or running the wrong way, he calls a time out and glares or yells at the chump who wasn't paying attention.

They hate it when something goes wrong, and that's competitive anger.  If you've watched Peyton Manning, you know what I mean.

We saw Carson Palmer show it at times in college and in the pros.  We saw many frowns and positive reinforcement from Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez, but that just doesn't seem to work effectively in the pros.

So what about Matt Barkley?

Matt wasn't fiery at all in his first two years at USC.  His last two years he's flashed some competitive anger, and it seems that he was probably holding back a lot this last season:

"You can't just let these things go by and watch them disintegrate in front of you. You've got to put the glue in somewhere. Looking back, I wish I'd been more forceful."

I don't know if Matt will stay in Philly, but I suspect he'll pan out as a solid quarterback in the NFL, even if not in the top rung.