A lot is made of the Wonderlic, particularly as the draft approaches and we run out of stuff to talk about. I haven't seen any studies, but anecdotally I'd imagine there isn't much of a correlation between a player's Wonderlic score and their NFL productivity.
But that doesn't mean we can't point and gawk. The Chicago Tribune's Dan Pompei has the lowdown on some of the draft's top prospects, and for comparison's sake, points out that a person of average intelligence (Brian Billick, for example) "is supposed to score a 20." Apparently, NFL teams like to see quarterbacks, offensive linemen, middle linebackers and safeties "score higher than that because those positions can be mentally demanding."
According to Pompei, Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm scored 32, Joe Flacco scored a 27 and Chad Henne a 22.
The best o-lineman in the draft, Jake Long, posted a 26, Jeff Otah scored a 28, Sam Baker a 27 and Chris Williams a 32. Branden Albert scored a 23 and Ryan Clady, the second-best o-linemen in most draft nerds' minds, pulled a Dan Marino (13). Despite his low score, I'm guessing it doesn't affect his stock.
Linebacker Keith Rivers and safety Kenny Phillips scored 16s, which obviously means that they are half as smart as Ryan.
Ultimately, the test scores are a part of the overall puzzle. Just like 40 times, interviews, and -- this'll sound crazy, but stay with me here -- game tape. Frankly, I think the Wonderlic doesn't mean much when it comes to actually playing football. I mean, in 2004, the 49ers' Roderick Green scored a 3 and Craig Krenzel scored a 38. Guess who's still a mediocre NFL player and who's not even in the league any more.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. "a person of average intelligence is supposed to score a 20"
So where does that put Vince Young and his 6? I'm guessing borderline retarded.
Posted at 10:02PM on Mar 23rd 2008 by Big Sam
2. The success of a NFL player is how he responds to pressure. If he is mentally tough he will succeed. If he cares only about the money and is arrogrant and thinks he is Superman and doesn't want to learn then he can go find another line of work.
Posted at 1:04AM on Mar 24th 2008 by George B Vieto
3. For God's sake Big Same you're an idioit, and I don't need a standardized test to prove it.
Here's the part of the story you so willingly forge everytime you rip VY.
From VY's Wikipedia:
However, on February 26, 2006 combine officials said the reported score of six was incorrect. According to NFL Spokesman Steve Alic, “I can tell you absolutely that the score that has been reported on the Internet is inaccurate. I spoke to the person who graded the test, and he assured me that that number was not correct.”
The next day, the test was properly readministered and Young scored a sixteen
______
Also... how many times have your pathetic Texans beaten him and the Titans? I mean, those super-duper Wonderlic scores didn't help your entire D from looking foolish trying to tackle VY as he destroyed them!
Scoreboard fat boy. Scoreboard.
Posted at 10:24AM on Mar 24th 2008 by August West
4. august - he may or may not be an idiot, but...helpful hint, next time you want to rip someone for being less intelligent than yourself, you might want to spell "idiot" and "big sam" correctly.
sweet, delicious irony.
...and in any case, let's not pretend that a 16 is much better than a six. "vy" is not the brightest bulb in the box, a fact that becomes more clear every time he tries to read a defense.
Posted at 5:30PM on Mar 24th 2008 by einsteinrig
5. "Sooperiour inteligents iz overated" - Vince Young
Posted at 10:52PM on Mar 24th 2008 by §
6. Interesting story August West.... but if you bothered to follow the whole story, it came out later that VY's actual score was a 7 (not a 16 as was reported by his agent). So, yeah, IMO, I consider him on the lower range of intelligence scale. He has trouble reading defenses and makes up for it with his running ability. And for the scoreboard, the Tenn Defense was responsible for winning the games, not VY and his weak passing efficiency. Wonderlic is a standardized rating system to how a person handles pressure, tactics and reasoning. There are old versions available to take if you look for them. There are 50 questions to take in 20 min. I scored something like a 34 and I am in a graduate engineering program, not an athlete. It is a valid test. Preparing for it matters as much as the combine performance results.
Posted at 7:48AM on Mar 25th 2008 by Birdie