If you've never entered the NFL Draft'or happen not to work for at least one of 45,000 companies worldwide aside from the NFL'then it's possible you've never heard of the Wonderlic Personnel Test.
It's a 50-question, 12-minute test that many companies administer to prospective employees in order to gauge cognitive ability, though the test is best-known for its most famous client: the National Football League.
Every year, draft prospects must take the test during the combine so that scouts, coaches, owners and general managers can evaluate the testable intelligence of their potential multi-million-dollar investments. I can't imagine the players like the test very much, though they probably appreciate the fact that the test room is the only place Mel Kiper Jr. isn't allowed to take DNA samples or voice his concern about a prospect's durability, considering that said prospect's great-grandfather on his mother's side had tendonitis in his right knee.
But unfortunately for some players, a low score on the Wonderlic test raises what some consider slightly more significant red flags than lame-legged lineage.
One of those players is Texas quarterback Vince Young. He reportedly scored a six, which started a debate over whether his score should effect his draft status'10 is considered the minimum for adult literacy, while the worldwide and NFL-player average is roughly 21, (out of a possible 50).
It turned out there was a miscalculation with his score and he really got a 16, which is good because six is incredibly low (even if the test does have a cultural bias)'it would have made you wonder if he could tie his own shoes. But his actual score of 16 is still relatively low because it is below the league average and even farther below the quarterback average, which is in the mid-20s.
And while I cannot prove'only predict (which I do)'that Vince Young will be a very good NFL quarterback, it seems clear to me that Young will ultimately be the next quarterback to score poorly on the test and have a stellar career in the NFL. That is to say, bad teammates, bad coaches and bad luck are far more likely to keep him from being traditionally successful than poor pen-and-paper problem solving.
Past test scores indicate some things, none of which make a difference in the case of a player as gifted as Vince Young. The unusually high scores were almost always from players who went to academically reputable universities. Stanford's Todd Husak and Michigan's Drew Henson both got a 42. Fellow former Wolverine Brian Griese scored a 39.
There is an evident cultural bias on the test since white quarterbacks, on average, do better than black quarterbacks that exhibit the same level of achievement on the football field. So in the end, the test is nothing more than something fun for fans to look at. It's like knowing what school an actor went to'it won't have any bearing on how well they do their job or whether you like them, you just want to know.
Tom Brady, who is arguably (feel free to argue with me) the best quarterback in the NFL, had an impressive score of 33. However, Brett Favre'who many in this region would argue had a remarkable career himself'scored a fairly- average 22.
Dan Marino had a 14, yet Joey Harrington had a 32. Randall Cunningham scored only a 15, but anyone would take him over Drew Bledsoe, who can't make an intelligent decision (or any sort of lateral movement) on the field to save his life'he scored a 37.
UW grad Brooks Bollinger had a 28. More recently, Badger alum Jim Sorgi scored a 14. I should note that I took a 15-question practice test and got them all right. I outscored Sorgi'who has a degree from this university'without answering the last 35 questions. I think it's safe to say that Sorgi, who is currently the back-up for the Colts, isn't getting the nod over Peyton any time soon. Although to be fair, my test score is inflated because apparently the test gets increasingly harder. But I doubt I would have managed to score a negative one on the remainder of the exam. Just guessing.
And maybe Vince could have gotten a perfect 50 just like the punter from Harvard named Peter McInally (the only one to ever do it) but instead wanted to distract us all from his previously primary knock'that he throws like a girl.
Though in all seriousness, there can surely be legitimate reasons why athletes may not try on these tests. In Vince's case, he might already have a guarantee from Tennessee. If a franchise has made a commitment to him, why should he stress about a multiple-choice test when that's what he won't miss about college? He figured he might as well try to break Iowa State running back Darren Davis' record for the all-time low of four. Sorgi, however, had no such excuse.
I don't think the test is worthless; I think it's a good tie-breaker. But with that said, how often are two players equal? Almost never. So no, in this case, it shouldn't affect Young's draft stock. If a Wonderlic score meant so much, it would follow that I was better suited to play quarterback in the NFL than Vince Young. And then I'd be in line for millions of dollars and burgeoning fame.
On a completely unrelated note, I changed my mind. There are innumerable parallels between test-taking ability and reading the outside linebacker in a Cover 2. You're going to trust someone who was educated below the Mason-Dixon Line to run your franchise? Jeff George got a 10. What more do you need to know?
