Matt Barkley Pro Day Results: QB Didn't Help Draft Stock During Throwing Session

Matt Barkley had a chance to prove his doubters wrong at his pro day on Wednesday, but the quarterback failed to accomplish that goal. 

Heading into the scouting process, the biggest concern about Barkley as a pro quarterback was his arm strength—or lack thereof. He did little to dispel the notion that he possesses anything other than an average NFL arm.

Barkley struggled to connect with his receivers on more than a few deep passes, and Yahoo! Sports' Doug Farrar observed:

Furthermore, Barkley was inaccurate on a few crossing routes, as Bleacher Report's Michael Schottey noted:

Pro Football Talk also chimed in, making an astute observation about Barkley's accuracy problems:

Watching from my office at home, I saw multiple instances where Barkley's passes floated rather than zipped through the air. He simply doesn't possess a strong arm, and given his limited athleticism, opposing defenses can operate without fear of getting burned over the top or on the ground. 

Personally, Barkley reminds me of Alex Smith, without Smith's athleticism.

On a positive note, Farrar pointed out that Barkley didn't lose any arm strength in his recovery from his shoulder injury last year:

Being able to work out in an environment that's familiar often gives athletes the ability to perform at their best, which is what we saw from Manti Te'o, who helped himself by posting a more respectable 40 time at his pro day on Tuesday. 

But Barkley's decision to wait until his pro day to reveal his post-injury arm strength gave him just one chance to make a good impression.  

Both CBS Sports' Tony Pauline and Bleacher Report's Matt Miller agreed that Barkley didn't do anything to improve his draft stock:

Barkley isn't going to be the first quarterback taken off the board in the draft. Heck, he may not even be the second. He has all the intangibles, discipline and leadership you look for in an NFL quarterback, but the fact remains that he is limited in what he can do on the field.

It remains to be seen if any NFL team is willing to risk a first-round pick on a player with his limitations, but it won't be much longer until we all find out.

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