The NFL Scouting Combine has technically been going on for two days, but the real stuff doesn't begin until Saturday with the start of actual on the field workouts. That doesn't mean the prospects haven't been just standing around the last two days. An entirely different onslaught of tests has awaited them, most notably the Wonderlic Test. A 50 question test that's only provided 12 minutes to finish has become the most infamous. The Chicago Tribune describes it as such: "consists of numerical, analytical and spatial-relations questions intended to measure a player's ability to think on his feet, follow directions and make effective decisions under pressure. It was created 71 years ago, has been administered to more than 150 million people and has been used in the NFL since 1968."
All players take the test, but the only position that seem to matter is, of course, the quarterback. We've never heard what LaDainian Tomlinson scored, but there are website devoted to tracking the QB test results such as this one.
The big NFL combine debate is whether the number really matters. You can generally find a few test scores to defense any side of the argument. Drew Henson and Alex Smith have two of the highest test scores all time, and yet that hasn't translated onto the field. On the other hand, Eli Manning and Tony Romo displayed some mental capacity during their test days and clearly understand complicated offensive and defensive schemes as good as anyone. Then you've got Dan Marino with a very notable 15, just a few steps north of literacy, and he turned out alright.
More than anything, it's just a fun way to gage how the professional QB prospects stack up on the intelligence scale. How much that matters in terms of their football future will forever be in doubt. Here's some results of interest over the years...
Notable High Scores:
Drew Henson 42
Alex Smith 40
Eli Manning 39
Tony Romo 37
Drew Bledsoe 36
Matt Leinart 35
Kellen Clemens 35
Tom Brady 33
John Beck 30
Philip Rivers 30
Brady Quinn 29
Drew Brees 28
Peyton Manning 28
Ryan Leaf 27
Ben Roethlisberger 25
Notable Low Scores:
Tarvaris Jackson 19
Derek Anderson 19
Vince Young 16
Dan Marino 15
Terry Bradshaw 15
Donovan McNabb 14
David Garrard 14
Kordell Stewart 13
Marcus Vick 11
Jeff George 10
Chris Leak 8*
*apparently decided to only answer 12 of 50 questions. Got 8 out of 12 right, but alas, 8 is his score.
Do you care about the Wonderlic scores? If you were a GM, would your favorite college QB scoring below a 20 on the test affect your willingness to draft him?
Here's a few test questions to see whether you're an everyday Marcus Vick or Eli Manning.
more
