2013 NFL Draft: Matt Barkley and 7 Prospects Already Being Overrated

The 2013 NFL draft is already widely being examined by experts, and there are several prospects being extremely overrated, one being USC quarterback Matt Barkley.

The draft is a still a long time away, but that hasn’t stopped fans and experts from beginning to rank the prospects that could be entering the draft.

There is a danger in already ranking prospects. The college football season hasn’t even kicked off, yet certain players such as Barkley are being hailed as first-round selections. Some of these projects are based on physical measurements alone.

A variety of factors can play into these prospects not living up to the hype already surrounding them. The hype is almost unfair to the prospects considering they will have to live up to it not only throughout the course of the college season, but into the offseason leading up to the draft.

These prospects are simply a product of media hype. Here are seven prospects that are already being overrated, Matt Barkley included:

Tyrann Mathieu, Cornerback, LSU

Tyrann Mathieu is a talented cornerback that is being touted by some as a first-round selection in the upcoming draft. Chad Reuter of NFL.com even has Mathieu listed as the second-best corner entering the draft next season.

Mathieu has had an extremely productive career at LSU to date, forcing 14 turnovers in 25 games. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last season because of his combination of defensive and special teams skills.

The problem for “The Honey Badger” is his size. He’s only 5’9” and 175 lbs. He’ll have trouble matching up with the majority of the receivers in the NFL and will be unable to play press coverage. Most NFL wide receivers are at least 6’0” and 200 lbs., so Mathieu is at a huge disadvantage.

NFL scouts will quickly realize this fault and grade Mathieu lower than most media members expect. For now, he’s being hyped thanks to name recognition alone. 

Montee Ball, Running Back, Wisconsin

Montee Ball was another Heisman Trophy finalist a year ago that elected to stay in college rather than enter the NFL. He is being overrated as well. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has Ball ranked as the No. 18 prospect entering the draft next year.

That’s a drastic miscalculation by Brooks.

Ball is being overrated because of his jaw-dropping stat line from last season. He rushed the ball 307 times for 1,923 yards and 33 touchdowns, insane numbers at any level.

Ball was fortunate enough to play behind the most dominant line in all of college football last year, and he capitalized on the opportunity. However, his size at only 5’11” and 210 lbs. puts him at a disadvantage when entering the pros if he doesn’t get to play behind an elite line.

Add in the fact there are several better running backs entering the draft, such as Marcus Lattimore, Knile Davis and Joseph Randle. They all have better size than Randle and produced heavily behind worse offensive lines.

Landry Jones, Quarterback, Oklahoma

Landry Jones is yet another prospect that elected to not enter the draft last year. That was a very wise decision. Now, Jones is being over-hyped by many. Once again, the culprit is NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, who has Jones ranked as the fifth-overall prospect entering next year’s draft.

Jones wasn’t horrible last year, throwing for 4,463 yards, 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while at Alabama. However, even Brooks admits that Jones didn’t show off consistent accuracy or poise under pressure.

It’ll be interesting to see how Jones develops, but he’s not one of the best quarterbacks entering the draft. He’ll be passed by guys like Tennessee’s Tyler Bray and Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson and Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas.

Jones didn’t enter the draft because he heard the criticisms of his game and knew he likely wouldn’t have been one of the top three quarterbacks taken. It’s hard to imagine he’ll do better this year. 

T.J. McDonald, Safety, USC

T.J. McDonald is by no means a bad player, but he is receiving a ridiculous amount of hype. Sports Illustrated’s Tony Pauline has McDonald ranked as the No. 3 overall player entering the draft in 2013.

That’s a bit of a stretch. McDonald might not even be the top player at his position when it is all said and done.

McDonald has been productive thus far at USC, racking up 67 tackles and three interceptions in 2011 alone. He’ll be a player with four years of collegiate experience before entering the draft, which has to be attractive to all teams.

There are several players who will be competing with McDonald to be the first safety taken next year, including LSU’s Eric Reid, Alabama’s Robert Lester and Georgia’s Bacarri Rambo. McDonald hasn’t done enough to stand out from this pack or prospects yet. 

William Gholston, Defensive End, Michigan State

Williams Gholston is a freak athlete that simply dominates whenever he’s on the field at Michigan State. Several media outlets have him ranked highly, including CBS, which has him ranked as the No. 21 player entering the draft.

Gholston had 70 tackles and five sacks in 2011 while being a disruptive force for any offensive line that happened to get in his way.

Gholston is going to see his stock fall thanks to two personal foul penalties that saw him get suspended for a game by the Big Ten. He was completely out of control, and that type of behavior doesn’t bid well for his stock.

He’s also unfortunate enough to play the same position as LSU’s Sam Montgomery, Texas’ Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas’ Alex Okafor and Ohio State’s John Simon, all who are just as productive without issues.

Gholston could get lost on draft day, and it is easy to see why.

Robert Woods, Wide Receiver, USC

Robert Woods is widely being called the best wide receiver entering the draft next year; unfortunately for him, he’s not.

NFL.com seems to love him. Bucky Books has him listed as the No. 3 overall prospect, while Chad Reuter has Woods as the best receiver as well.

Woods’ issue certainly isn’t production. He had an outstanding year in 2011 with a ridiculous 111 catches for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns. Woods was a mismatch for any defender trying to cover him.

Woods has a couple of things working against him. To start, he only weighs in at 180 lbs. That’s simply not enough for an NFL receiver, and the bigger corners in the league should have no issues jamming Woods at the line of scrimmage.

Secondly, Woods benefited from catching passes from Matt Barkley, one of the top quarterback prospects entering the draft. Woods was the focal point of the pass-heavy offense, which inflated his numbers.

Finally, Woods is in the same draft class as California wideout Keenan Allen, who put up extremely similar stats (98 catches for 1,342 yards and six scores) with a less talented team and an iffy quarterback situation.

Woods is one of the better receivers available, but he’s already heavily overrated. Allen is the best receiver in the class; not Woods.  

Matt Barkley, Quarterback, USC

Matt Barkley is widely hailed as the No. 1 prospect entering the 2013 NFL draft, and for good reason. Mel Kiper has him as the best player entering, and so do the majority of people analyzing the draft.

Barkley could have entered last year’s draft, but likely would have been taken after both Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Instead he elected to stay another year at USC in pursuit of a National Championship.

The USC quarterback had an outstanding 2011 campaign that saw him throw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

Even with the impressive numbers, Barkley has a few things working against him. For one, he’s only 6’1”, which is short for an NFL quarterback. That’s something that could work against him in the 2013 draft when compared to a prospect like Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas, who is 6’5.”

Barkley also benefits from playing at one of the best programs in the nation that consistently brings in the top recruits. This is something that has to be taken into consideration saying Barkley may end up on a mediocre NFL team.

Barkley will likely go in the first round of the 2013 draft, but to say he’s the best player overall is a bit of a stretch. 

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