As a general rule, here is good advice to give players who are thinking about coming out of college early to enter the NFL Draft: If you are realistically a first-round pick, then you should leave. If you aren't sure if you will go that high, then you should stay.
Now, there are exceptions to that rule. Obviously, someone's financial situation has a lot to do with it. The state of their school has a lot to do with it, and that's an interesting roadblock for Barkley.
USC is currently under a postseason ban, which will end this year. The Trojans will be national championship-eligible next year. They will still be fighting an uphill battle, as other restrictions will linger.
But there is one other reason to stay: Barkley has a great chance to raise his stock.
Right now, Barkley is the third-best quarterback in the draft. He's undeniably behind Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones. Right now, Barkley is more of a project pick.
He's a smart player with a lot of talent, but he's still a little too raw. I don't see him stepping into the NFL in 2012 and making a big impact. Instead, I see Barkley's best-case scenario being drafted by an average to good team in the middle to late part of the first round.
That team would have an established quarterback that Barkley would learn under for a few seasons before stepping in and taking over.
But if he comes back for a season, the potential is massive. He could grow as a quarterback for a year and potentially be the top quarterback taken in 2013's draft. The difference between one and three is potentially immense, especially financially.
Granted, we don't know how immense until the draft order is set, but it's hard to see Barkley going in the Top 10, or even Top 15. One more year would make all the difference in Barkley's draft standing and his future as an NFL quarterback.
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