The Wonderlic???

With the release of LSU corner and future top five pick Morris Claiborne’s Wonderlic test score of 4 (worst score since 2000) my question to you is: How important is this test? The Wonderlic test is a 12 minute 50 question multiple choice questionnaire used to measure basic intelligence and problem solving skills. This test is given to almost every college player entering the NFL draft with a average score being a 20. NFL swears by this test and a high score along with a good combine can result in a skyrocket of a players draft stock. For every story to prove the NFL’s case you have two that dispute it. Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick of Harvard scored the 2nd highest score in NFL history with a 48 in only 4 minutes. Fitzpatrick has become a serviceable quarterback in Buffalo after stops in St.Louis and Cincinnati but not considered a franchise QB by any stretch. In 1995 defensive end Mike Mumula out of Boston college wowed the combine with superman like workouts followed by a unbelievable 49 on his Wonderlic tied for the best score ever recorded. Mumula’s stock soared and the Philadelphia Eagles were so in love with him they traded the #12 pick and two second rounders to Tampa Bay for the #7 pick to draft Mike Mumula who was being labeled the next Howie Long or Bruce Smith by experts. Well Mike Mumula turned out to be a poor choice that never panned out and Tampa Bay used the picks from Philly to draft DT Warren Sapp and LB Derrick Brooks. And if you know your NFL history the Bucs defeated the Eagles in the playoffs on several occasions with Brooks and Sapp. Other high scoring Wonderlic players include former Alabama QB Greg McElroy 41 and Alex Smith who scored 40 both better than Hall of fame QB’s Dan Marino and Jim Kelly who both scored a 15. Other non-QBs who scored low include: Deion Sanders 7, Ray Lewis 13, Patrick Peterson 9, Frank Gore 6, Chris Johnson 10 and the list goes on and on. True players like CJ2k and Peterson the verdicts still out on, it proves that in most cases a ton of stock shouldn’t be vested in these scores, and FYI number one pick Peyton Manning scored a 28 and number two pick Ryan Leaf scored a 27 in 1998. With the NFL new rules to “protect” players to increase scoring and make more money a players ability to react when they have been scouted and game planned against should be far more important than how good a player takes a test in shorts in a classroom. @FinchamCorey #TEAMPOA

One Comment

1. 

   jakefromthebean

   April 5, 2012 at 3:50 pm

   ya bill polian said GM’s and coaches dont look into this test much and alot of people have scored low, frank gore scored a 6, dan marino? a 12 so it really doesnt mean much. IMO

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