Barksdale was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round (201st overall) of the 2007 NFL draft.[1] He is the second player in Albany history to be drafted into the NFL. He was released by the Eagles on September 1, 2007 during the preseason.
Kansas City Chiefs
The next day, Barksdale signed a contract to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, which made Barksdale the first player in the history of the SUNY Albany to make an NFL 53-man roster.
Barksdale made his NFL regular season debut on October 7, 2007, making him the first UAlbany player to appear in an NFL regular season game when he took the field on special teams for the opening kickoff. He also played on the punt cover and punt return units and made a fourth-quarter tackle with 6:08 remaining.
Barksdale was released by the Chiefs during final cuts on August 30, 2008.