Why Robert Griffin III Has to Declare for NFL Draft Now That Matt Barkley Isn't

There are really two ways to enter the NFL draft. You either have done as much as you can at your school and your stock is as high as it's going to get so you're forced to leave by the draft stock you only stand to lose. The other reason is: you could use another year in school but the talent at your position isn't that high, so you'll end up getting drafted earlier than you should.

With Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, it may be a little bit of both.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley announced yesterday he will be returning for his senior season as a Trojan. Barkley was going to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in next year's draft and with quite a few teams needing a quarterback, he was going to go high.

That now opens the door for the guy who wears Superman socks.

Griffin still has a year of eligibility, but with Barkley staying, that's one less quarterback this year's class has. That means he will be selected even higher than he was projected before we knew Barkley was returning to school.

The Baylor quarterback has his stock probably higher than it's going to be. He led the Bears to one of their most successful seasons in school history and won the Heisman trophy. He has as much hype as any player in this year's draft class.

He was already going to be a high pick, but with Barkley returning to USC, he's going to go even higher.

Griffin is not your typical dual-threat quarterback. In fact, you could make an argument he isn't a dual-threat quarterback at all. He only runs when he has to, as he always looks to pass the ball before showing his freakish athleticism. He has an extremely strong arm and pinpoint accuracy. There are really no doubts that this young man could become a franchise quarterback and turn a struggling NFL team around. 

Griffin was a top-three quarterback in the draft behind Andrew Luck and Barkley. Now he is top-two.

Griffin has yet to make his decision on whether he will declare eligible for the NFL draft. I think the decision was made yesterday when Barkley made his.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]