NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be joined by a St. Jude cancer patient during one first-round pick of the draft. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

A cancer patient at St. Jude hospital in Memphis will announce a draft pick during the first round of this year’s NFL draft, reports Outkick the Coverage.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a leader in finding cures and treating children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The hospital has had an ongoing partnership with the NFL, and one patient will join NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage during the draft.

Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley and future draft pick visited the hospital and spoke about the experience. From the Outkick the Coverage report:

“The research they’ve been doing with cancer and other diseases, it’s unbelievable,” Barkley said, “And to see the actual healing that’s going on with kids and to see how joyful these kids are knowing that a cure’s in sight, it’s been very encouraging.”

The draft will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday.

Matt Barkley announced on his Twitter that he is heading to Cleveland and Buffalo for team visits. It would seem natural for a well-known draft pick to visit teams with top 10 draft picks, but Barkley has likely slid past that range.

What’s more, one NFL GM told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he predicts the QB draft prospects “are going to fall like logs.” The Cardinals, Raiders and Bills, all previously lacking the in the quarterback department, have recently made moves to rectify that. The Jets and Jaguars could possibly draft quarterbacks, unless the teams instead choose to stay confident in their starters.

The Cardinals worked out Barkley, but their coach admitted he’s not in consideration for their first pick. Arizona’s second pick is 38th overall, a possibility for Barkley that hasn’t been ruled out yet.

The Bills are more determined to draft a quarterback for the future, making Barkley’s Buffalo visit more reasonable.

An AFC executive recently compared Barkley to Chad Pennington, who went 18th overall in 2000. From the Yahoo! Sports report:

“[Matt Barkley] has all the intangibles you could imagine,” the executive said. “You couldn’t ask for a better kid or a harder worker. But he just doesn’t have the arm on the deep stuff. … That’s what people said about Pennington (in 2000).”

Generally, quarterback draft picks go higher than expected, but the 2013 quarterback draft prospects have been widely acknowledged as a lowly regarded draft class.

Heading off to Cleveland and Buffalo this morning for team visits—
Matthew Barkley (@MattBarkley) April 08, 2013

After AZ, OAK and BUF each made QB moves last week, one NFL GM predicted "these quarterbacks in this draft are going to fall like logs."—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 08, 2013

USC quarterback Matt Barkley does not plan to attend the NFL Draft in April. However, he is reportedly working out privately with the Arizona Cardinals. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

USC quarterback Matt Barkley doesn’t plan to attend the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, reports ProFootballTalk:

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Barkley has decided not to accept an invitation to attend.  Barkley has opted instead to spend the evening his family and friends that night.

Some will suspect that he also decided not to risk a long night in the green room for round one, and then a return for the second evening of the draft.

Barkley separated his shoulder in a game against UCLA in November which ended his season. However, he quelled concerns about his throwing ability at USC’s Pro Day and is also scheduled for a private workout with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, according to ESPN:

Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians and general manager Steve Keim are scheduled to hold a private workout Saturday at USC for quarterback Matt Barkley, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Quarterback Matt Barkley is projected as a second-round pick after throwing 116 touchdown passed during his USC career. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Having already worked out four of the top quarterbacks in this year’s NFL draft class, the Buffalo Bills are turning their attention to USC’s Matt Barkley.

The Bills will hold a private workout for Barkley and former Trojans receiver Robert Woods in Los Angeles on Monday, according to ESPN.com’s James Walker.

Buffalo holds the No. 8 overall pick in the first round, as well as the No. 41 overall pick in the second round — closer to where Barkley is projected to go. The team released starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier this month, but could focus its draft on the defensive side of the ball after allowed 27.2 points per game last season.

Buffalo has held private workouts for West Virginia’s Geno Smith, Florida State’s E.J. Manuel, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray.

But the team could have particular interest in Barkley, who threw for 3,273 yards and 36 touchdowns during his senior season, given first-year head coach Doug Marrone’s affinity for him.

From CBSSports.com:

After facing Barkley twice over the last two seasons while at Syracuse, Bills first-year coach Doug Marrone raved about the former Trojans’ quarterback’s comfort-level within a pro-style system. In the two wins, Barkley went 49 of 69 (71.0 percent) for 511 yards with 11 touchdowns and only one interception. In a 38-17 win in September of 2011, Barkley checked down to his running backs four times when the Orange eliminated his deep option downfield.

“If he doesn’t like what’s going on when they (take away) the deep vertical threats, he can come right back to the backs,” said Marrone, days before the Orange’s 42-29 loss to the Trojans in September. “That’s one of the things you see with the top guys in the NFL.”

Marrone even indicated that Barkley could have been the first quarterback selected behind Andrew Luck if he entered the Draft last season. If selected by the Bills, Barkley’s experience with a short-passing game and his proficiency in making pre-snap adjustments could help him fit within Marrone’s West Coast offense.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley’s college career is over. Coach Lane Kiffin announced that Max Wittek would start in the Sun Bowl instead of Barkley, who is out with a shoulder injury.

Barkley ends his career as a Trojan with 1,001 completions (64.1 percent), 12,327 passing yards and 122 total touchdowns. He was sixth in Heisman voting his junior year and is the Pac-12′s career leader in pass completions and passing yards.

Barkley suffered a right shoulder sprain in November against UCLA when he was sacked from behind by linebacker Anthony Barr. He had hoped to return for the team’s final game, but will remain on the sidelines on doctors orders.

Lane Kiffin announced that Max Wittek will start at QB for USC in the @HyundaiSunBowl. Matt Barkley's college career is officially over.—
USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 27, 2012

Barkley on his injured AC joint: "I've worked as hard as I could to get back for this game, and nature is not allowing it." #USC #SunBowl—
USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 27, 2012

Doctors haven’t cleared me to play, so I won’t be suiting up on Saturday. I’ll be here with my team to finish strong. Proud to be a Trojan!—
Matthew Barkley (@MattBarkley) December 27, 2012

The Trojans take on the Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve in the Sun Bowl. Wittek, a redshirt freshman, has played in seven games and accumulated 281 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Matt Barkley was injured on a sack by Anthony Barr late in UCLA’s win. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Lane Kiffin told the media Sunday that USC senior quarterback won’t play against Notre Dame on Saturday. Kiffin has selected backup quarterback Max Wittek as his starter.

Kiffin classified Barkley’s injury as an AC sprain to his shoulder. Barkley was injured while being sacked from behind by Anthony Barr late in the game.

Barkley left the Rose Bowl with his arm in a sling.

USC is the only team standing in the way of Notre Dame claiming the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings and a berth in the national championship game.

Matt Barkley believes he would have been drafted ahead of Robert Griffin III had he declared for the 2012 NFL Draft. (Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)

Confidence is key for any quarterback, and USC senior Matt Barkley appears to have plenty of it. In an interview with the Dan Patrick Radio Show, Barkley said that had he decided to forgo his senior season and go pro, he would have been drafted above the 2012 #2 pick, Robert Griffin III.

A little confidence only goes so far, however. Barkley said he would have never expected to rise above new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who went #1 overall out of Stanford University. As quoted in NBC’s ProFootballTalk:

“I had confidence that I was going to go high, it wasn’t really a question of that as to why I came back,” Barkley said. “I think it was a sure bet that Andrew was going to go No. 1.”

Asked if he thinks he — not Robert Griffin III — would have gone No. 2 after Luck went No. 1, Barkley said he does.

“I had confidence in that — I think I could have been,” Barkley said.

Barkley made the surprise decision to return to USC to pursue a BCS championship in December 2011. He is widely expected to be a top pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Quarterback Matt Barkley’s announcement on Thursday that he would be staying for a senior year at USC rather than entering the NFL draft likely will have repercussions throughout the offseason.  The value of the top spot in the draft and a shot at Stanford QB Andrew Luck skyrockets, as does the draft status Heisman Trophy-winning QB Robert Griffin III, should he choose to leave Baylor.  It all boils down to the fact that NFL teams in need of a quarterback will have one fewer option … but that almost wasn’t the case, according to Pedro Moura on ESPNLA.com.

Barkley went on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles, Moura writes, and said that his plan immediately following USC’s season was quite different from what he actually did.

“At first, I was pretty much positive that I was leaving right after the season because I was on such an emotional high,” Barkley told host Mark Willard. “I figured I was going.”

“But after looking over everything — and we gathered every fact we could to help make the decision — I ultimately knew in my heart that I was coming back to USC.”

Returning to USC affords Barkley the chance to play in a BCS bowl game — a chance he was denied in 2010 and 2011 thanks to NCAA sanctions for violations that predated his time at the school.

Rising senior Matt Barkley officially announced his intention to return to USC during a press conference today.

“I know in my heart I have not yet finished my journey as a Trojan football player,” Barkley said.

Barkley expressed his gratitude toward those who he consulted with about his potential NFL future. He told the USC faithful in attendance that while he believes he is currently ready to play quarterback in the NFL, he also believes he has a unique chance to help the Trojans compete for a title next season.

This year Barkley led the USC Trojans to a 10-2 record, including a 7-2 mark  in the Pac-12. As a result of NCAA sanctions, the Trojans were not eligible for postseason play, which means despite defeating UCLA 50-0 in their final game of the season, they were forced to watch as the Bruins represented the Pac-12 South in the conference title game.

This season Barkley threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns while only tossing seven interceptions.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times is reporting that USC starting quarterback Matt Barkley will announce today that he will return for his senior season.

Barkley has told teammates he’s returning. Look for good news for USC fans at 4.

—
Pete Thamel (@PeteThamelNYT) December 22, 2011

Barkley is scheduled to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. to formally announce his decision on whether he will enter the NFL Draft. It was believed that if the 21-year-old quarterback left school he would have been a top-10 pick in the draft. Entering the 2013 NFL Draft instead would make him the early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick.

This year Barkley led the USC Trojans to a 10-2 record, including a 7-2 mark  in the Pac-12. As a result of NCAA sanctions, the Trojans were not eligible for postseason play, which means despite defeating UCLA 50-0 in their final game of the season, they were forced to watch as the Bruins represented the Pac-12 South in the conference title game.

This season Barkley threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns while only tossing seven interceptions.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley will announce his decision on whether or not he will return to school or enter the NFL Draft today at a press conference, ESPN’s Colin Cowherd said on his radio show this morning.

If the 21-year-old quarterback leaves school he is expected to be a top-10 pick in the draft, however some believe that if he were to stay in school for his senior season he would be a lock for the No. 1 overall pick next season.

This year Barkley led the USC Trojans to a 10-2 record, including a 7-2 mark  in the Pac-12. As a result of NCAA sanctions, the Trojans were not eligible for postseason play, which means despite defeating UCLA 50-0 in their final game of the season, they were forced to watch as the Bruins represented the Pac-12 South in the conference title game.

This season Barkley threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns while only tossing seven interceptions.

Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian told the Los Angeles Times on Monday that he would select USC quarterback Matt Barkley ahead of the presumed top-ranked QB prospect, Stanford’s Andrew Luck, if he were drafting a quarterback right now.  It was a bold statement, ameliorated somewhat by Sarkisian’s history with Barkley; when Sarkisian was an assistant with USC, he helped recruit Barkley to the team.

Doug Farrar of Yahoo!’s Shutdown Corner blog found Sarkisian’s assertion interesting enough to get a second opinion.  Farrar turned to Rob Rang, senior draft analyst on NFLDraftScout.com; Rang wasn’t willing to go quite as far as Sarkisian, but according to Farrar, Rang did offer substantial praise for the USC passer:

With the improvements that Matt Barkley has made this season in his pocket presence and down-field accuracy, he has emerged as the clear second best pro quarterback prospect in the country following only Stanford’s Andrew Luck. There is no denying that Oklahoma junior Landry Jones has superior arm strength to Barkley (and Luck, for that matter), but Barkley is significantly more mobile inside and out of the pocket, possesses the intelligence and leadership skills that NFL teams value at the quarterback position and has plenty of arm strength to make stick throws.

Barkley is a junior and could choose to return to USC for another season rather than entering the NFL draft.