Matt Barkley Drafted By Eagles In 4th Round

USC quarterback Matt Barkley was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 4th round. His position of 96th pick was surprising to many, who expected him to go in the late first round or early second.

But he went much later than that, likely in part to the Trojans’ fairly poor season. The quarterback didn’t play as well as in 2011, netting the Trojans a record of 7 to 5.

Barkley considered coming out of school after his junior season. But at that time, he would have gone against Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Ryan Tannehill. Despite the odds, he likely would have had a better pick than this year.

Despite the disappointment at being a fourth-round draft pick, Matt Barkley was happy with his new team. Shortly after the pick, the USC quarterback tweeted, “I’m an Eagle!! Time to fly baby.” Former sports agent Joel Corry also tweeted after the announcement:

“Matt Barkley should sign a 4-year deal worth $2,657,028 with a $497,028 signing bonus. His ’13 cap number should be $529,257.”

Chip Kelly previously announced he would be building an offensive team around either Michael Vick of Nick Foles. Because of this, a mobile quarterback wasn’t a requirement. The Eagles’ coach and the team’s front office backed up the statement by their pick of Matt Barkley.

While the pick may have seemed a surprise to some, it wasn’t to the former Southern California quarterback. In a conference call with reporters, Barkley commented:

“I wouldn’t say surprised. I knew they had been interested in me from how their coaching staff expressed it in Indianapolis at the [NFL scouting] combine, and then with their visits out to USC for the workouts. It didn’t come as a complete surprise, but it was a good wake-up call this morning.”

While a fourth-round draft pick may not be what Matt Barkley was hoping for, he can rest comfortably knowing the Eagles wanted him enough to trade this year’s seventh pick to the Jaguars in order to grab the quarterback.

[Image via Neon Tommy]