With the Arizona Cardinals having a great need at the position and the seventh pick in the NFL Draft, all eyes are on the quarterbacks, even if that is not the direction the team eventually goes in. Next week the NFL combine begins and, while normally the most highly touted quarterback prospects in the draft tend to avoid throwing at the combine, this year the biggest names will be doing so.
West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley, both of whom have been projected in mock drafts to be selected by the Cardinals with the seventh pick in the draft, are both reportedly going to throw at the NFL combine.
The revelation that Smith would do so comes from a tweet from Gil Brandt. Barkley himself unofficially announced he would do so as well.
What does that mean? Naturally, it is a risk. They will be throwing to receivers they do not know and they could see their stock drop. However, both come with question marks, so this also gives them a chance to quiet their critics.
As of right now, mock draft projections are all over the place. Some have both players being selected in the first 10 picks, while others have no quarterbacks going in the first round at all.
Will this work out for Smith and Barkley? We will know soon enough.
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