Alert the media! Tim Tebow scored!
...a 22 on the Wonderlic test (out of 50). Just kidding, the media already knows. The scores were leaked via Tweet by Edgar Thompson, a Dolphins beat writer with the Palm Beach Post, and now everybody knows. It seems to be a big deal for a people associated with the NFL Draft. Much was made of Vince Young scoring a 6 in 2005. Even last year, a red flag was raised when Percy Harvin scored a 12. Maybe that is how he chose his jersey number. Incidentally, both players managed to win Rookie of the Year honors. I guess it really only begs one question:
Does the Wonderlic test matter?
I personally don't think so. But in order to get a little perspective, I decided to sample the test. I found two different abbreviated versions of the test online. I scored a 39 on the version ESPN posted on Page 2 a few years ago. I also scored a 45 on this other one I found. Obviously, the results I got were not official in any capacity, or even valid. Nonetheless, it is cool to know that I would make a great NFL player. I mean, that is what my scores mean, right?
The Wonderlic test is given to millions of job applicants each year in professions outside of professional sports. It aims to quantify general mental ability, which is in a sense, the ability to learn. 20 is the average score, which indicates an IQ of 100. The average score for a chemist is 32, and 15 for a warehouse worker (21 for the average NFL player). That makes sense. Chemists are required to be more educated than warehouse workers to perform the functions of their given occupations. I understand why employers test applicants. Intelligence is a good indicator of occupational success in many fields, but mainly because physical attributes play such a small role in most professions. So why does the NFL administer the Wonderlic test when the main criteria for success is physical ability?
Although they have found some trends regarding players positions as they relate to scores, there has been no significant link between a high score and a successful career, or vice versa. Just for fun, here are the average scores by position:
(note: If I was Jemelle Hill, I would probably decry the racism inherent in the testing, but that is a different conversation altogether.)
Offensive Tackle: 26
Center: 25
Quarterback: 24
Guard: 23
Tight end: 22
Safety: 19
Middle Linebacker: 19
Cornerback: 18
Wide Reciever: 17
Fullback: 17
Runningback: 16
If there was a position that required a higher Wonderlic score I imagine it would be quarterback. They are required to read defenses, make decisions quickly and adjust on the fly. It is unquestionably the most involved position to play in any sport. Here are some notable scores by quarterbacks:
Ryan Fitzpatrick: 48- Harvard graduate. Finished in 9 minutes. Career backup.
Alex Smith: 40- Biggest QB bust of the decade.
Eli Manning: 39- Can also lick Oreos faster than his big brother can.
Matt Leinart: 35- Impressive, considering he was probably drunk.
Tom Brady: 33- *sigh* I guess thats why New England drafted him.
John Beck: 30- *sigh* I guess that's why Miami drafted him.
Brady Quinn: 29- May be a bust, but too early still.
Drew Brees: 28- Best QB in the league. Solid score
Peyton Manning: 28- Best QB in the league. Solid score.
Ryan Leaf: 27- I thought he was dumb. Nope. Just crazy.
Brett Favre: 22- Let's hope Tebow can mimic his career too.
Vince Young: 16- But he got a 6 on his first try. No joke.
Dan Marino: 15- More of a doer, than a thinker.
Terry Bradshaw: 15- "Couldn't spell C-A-T if you spotted him the C and T."
Donovan McNabb: 14- Yet he still manages to avoid INTs.
Jeff George: 10- "A score of 10 is literacy." -C. Wonderlic Jr.
Chris Leak: 8- answered 8 of 12 questions correctly then said "Fuck this. I'm out."
Obviously if Wonderlic scores were indicators of NFL success, Fitzpatrick and Smith would replace Favre and Marino in the Hall of Fame. But as you can plainly see, Wonderlic scores are no better of a predictor of NFL success than the 40-yard dash (Jerry Rice ran a 4.71, Emmitt Smith ran a 4.8). In my estimation, only 10% of the information gathered from all the the cone drills, sprint drills, and aptitude tests actually help measure future success. The reason scouts force players to go through all of the rigmarole is so in the end when the players that they drafted fail, scouts can use these scores as a crutch. When they draft a bust, nobody can say they didn't do their due diligence.
This year's marquee quarterbacks:
Sam Bradford: 36
Colt McCoy: 25
Jimmy Clausen: 23
Tim Tebow: 22
Let's see how this plays out.
*****
Fun Wonderlic Fact: Frank Gore (who graduated from my high school a year ahead of me) scored a 6. He's Dyslexic. Literally. No pun intended. He took a verbal test later on and scored higher. (That is only the second time in my life when I actually meant it when I said "no pun intended." Practically every time someone says "no pun intended" they do so because they went out of their way to make a pun. Fuckers.)
Before you go, watch this remembering these words Todd McShay uttered less than a month ago: "[Tebow] will not make it in the NFL; I'm sure of it."
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