Matt Barkley proved at USC's pro day he's fully healed from the shoulder injury that cut short his senior season with the Trojans.
But did his performance change the thinking of teams who previously didn't see Barkley as a first-round talent? After his workout, Barkley was asked by NFL Network's Mike Mayock what he expected to show NFL teams on Wednesday.
"I think primarily that I still have an arm, and it works," Barkley said with a smile. "I think that was the big question. Just the fact I haven't been able to throw for so long, since the bowl game, nothing at the Senior Bowl, nothing at the combine. I just wanted to come out today and do what I normally do, just kind of put myself in a normal practice mindset like I've done this a million times before."
Reactions were mixed on Barkley's workout. Choosing to throw against the wind, Barkley had some balls flutter. His deep accuracy was good, however, and he finished 55-of-60 passing for the day.
"Yeah, we decided to go that way, headed into the wind," Barkley said. "We knew the coaches were probably going to ask us to go that way afterwards if we chose to go with the wind. I don't think it posed too much of a problem, maybe a couple of balls here and there, but I thought it was a good day overall."
During a subsequent conversation with Andrew Siciliano on "NFL Total Access," Mayock said he believed Barkley will be a late first-round pick.
"What he did today is confirm the type of quarterback he was," Mayock said. "And I spoke to several NFL teams and they felt the same way I did. What I saw on the tape, I saw here."
Whenever a pro-ready quarterback comes out of USC, it's treated as a big deal. Barkley is no exception. His difficult-to-gauge skill set only adds to the intrigue.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
