Picking on the girl you had a crush on, chicken patty Tuesday’s, or terrorizing the substitute teacher — we can all agree these were the highlights of our scholastic youth.
We can also agree, that once we got past middle school, high school, and college, we never wanted to see another standardized test again! Just the site of a number 2 pencil and a scantron with its odd-shaped ovals were enough to make one puke.
Well, “they’reeee baaaaaaaaack.”
As if the 40-yard dash, bench press, and 3 cone drill weren’t enough to test incoming NFL rookies and their skill set, teams have now added a grueling mental test called the Wonderlic to evaluate players.
The Wonderlic Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test that is suppose to demonstrate how well these athletes can think under pressure. How quickly they process thoughts, and how quick their instincts are. Some say the test is meaningless, but when the average NFL snap lasts roughly 6 seconds, you can see how quick, accurate, decision-making can play a significant role.
NFL teams and front office executives judge this test with discretion. Some value Wonderlic scores significantly higher than others — and some don’t really factor them in their grading of a player at all. However; one thing most teams agree on is the position the Wonderlic Test translates to the most…Quarterback.
It’s rare that all 32 teams in the NFL feel the same way about a particular player, especially a quarterback. So any question marks that a team may have about a player can be amplified by a poor Wonderlic score.
The 2011 quarterback draftee that a poor Wonderlic score would hurt big time is, Arkansas Razorback, Ryan Mallett. Lots of off the field issues including a poor attitude, previous drug use, and rumors of being a total jerk could potentially drop Mallett’s draft stock a full round in combination with a catastrophic score.
Not a big deal? According to the newest mock draft, experts have penciled Mallett in as the 15th overall selection heading to the Miami Dolphins. Last years 15th overall selection signed a 5-year, 20-Million dollar deal with close to 12-Million of that guaranteed. Last years 45th overall selection (exactly one round later), signed a 4-year, 4.5-Million dollar deal with close to 3-Million of that guaranteed. Pretty big difference, huh?
Here’s a list of the elite 2011 quarterback class and their Wonderlic Scores:
Greg McElroy – Alabama (43)
Blaine Gabbert – Missouri (42)
Christian Ponder – Florida State (35)
Ricky Stanzi – Iowa (30)
Andy Dalton – Texas Christian (29)
Ryan Mallett – Arkansas (26)
Cam Newton – Auburn (21)
Jake Locker – Washington (20)
To give you an idea of how the scores translate, experts consider a score of 10 as being literate. Although the average NFL score is 20, experts say when the test was given to miscellaneous people of various professions, it was observed that the average participant scored a 24.
Some other notable scores from big time players in the 2011 draft class are, LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson (9), and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green (10). Experts have both of these players going no later than the 7th overall selection in Aprils draft despite poor scores.
Bottom line, if you can play…you can play. The Wonderlic Test is meaningless if you can produce on the field. It just gives us one more thing to talk about in the off-season while keeping us engaged in the NFL game. Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Dan Marino and Jim Kelly scored 15’s on their test, while guys like Jamarcus Russell (24) and Alex Smith (40) scored much higher. Take the scores with a grain of salt, and let production on the field do the majority of the talking.