Matt Barkley "confident" he would have been drafted ahead of Robert Griffin III

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.