With the upcoming draft approaching us and a low end hunk of QBs coming out, Geno Smith and Matt Barkley are 2 of the more well-known names that are getting a lot of buzz. So with those 2 being leading nominees in the QB discussion for fans and analysts lets take a look at, out of these 2, which one do I trust will have the better QB career.

Geno Smith has a really strong arm and a darting quick release. He has a whip like arm that is proficient of getting into a tight spot in a hurry. Also has a nice soft touch when tossing it up on a fade pattern as well. He was fortunate to have a great offensive line that gave him lots of time to go through his progressions.

Geno Smith had a host of options on his offensive side of the ball. He carried lots of pressure as the proven leader of the team. I have no doubts believing he can be a leader for any football team he goes to, even though he was in a spread offense.

Matt Barkley does seem to make a read a bit faster, does this mean he understands defenses faster, or hits his first option? Also very accurate, able to hit guys who are tightly covered but a tad slower release than Smith, with his overhand style.

Barkley has good pocket presence, with excellent footwork, when he feels the line collapsing, he works in the pocket and stands tall and delivers, obviously a conventional pocket passing QB. He can buy time without being as athletic as Geno, with taking those few extra steps in the pocket to maneuver around to get the pass off.

With so many USC QBs having bombed in the NFL, can Matt change this? Matt Leinart in 2006 has done zilch, especially being drafted in the 10th spot, ended up being a bust, in 6 years, and only 15 TDs, and 21 picks, and a losing record of 8-10. What can make Matt Barkley better than those guys? Barkley’s career in USC was better than so many other guys.

Barkley is a smart QB, although throwing more picks than Geno; he has a lot of football behind him, starting for 4 years at USC. Who on the whole, has had a very strong career. Barkley has a common arm; Geno definitely has a bigger, more explosive arm.

If you are a top 10 pick, making the right call on a QB is beyond important, it’s enormous for your franchise, because of where it lands you for your future. If you are picking a QB in the top 10, you are laying it all on the line with this guy, hoping that you don’t end up as a top 10 pick again the following year; this is the guy who is going to be guiding your team forward, towards the ultimate goal.

Typically we see what you have in a QB, to me, is 30 games starting. After that, you have seen an adequate amount of their work, and the decision is made if they are the guy you had hoped for them to be.

Geno Smith playing for West Virginia, in the Big-12 conference, where he chucked up a heap of TD passes and only 6 ints, having played so-so vs some of the superior teams like Oklahoma and Kansas State.

Barkley has put up a load of passes in his career, tops in PAC-12 history in completions, TDs, and attempts. Barkley playing for the pro-style offense of the Trojans, in the tougher PAC-12 conference, playing against top teams like Oregon and Stanford, and when playing against the best teams, he also struggled. Barkley coming off the shoulder injury could make him damaged goods.

Are there any QBs in this draft who will be a superstar? This we will find out, but between these 2 in specifics, which one will be better in the long run for their teams. I personally, am not a Barkley believer, and I would go with Smith as my pick if I’m in the top 10 teams searching eagerly for a QB in this draft.

Athletic ability means a ton in the modern era QB. Pocket passers are always wonderful, and I prefer my QB there first and foremost, they are your traditional guy, but having a pocket passer with the feet that can also take off for 15, 25 yards, when things break down is an amazing weapon to have.

Written by Frank Jordan of VegasTopDogs.com