Low Wonderlic scores ding elite NFL prospects

[Quesadilla Joe]

Two of the NFL's brightest future stars, LSU CB Patrick Peterson and Georgia WR A.J. Green, registered among the five lowest Wonderlic scores of the 330 participants at this year's Combine.

Peterson was one of four prospects who recorded a dreaded single-digit score, which NFL teams often equate with getting their name right, tying with South Carolina's Chris Culliver for the lowest mark among all defensive backs as both correctly answered only nine questions on the 12-minute, 50-question test.

Green registered the lowest score of all receivers, answering 10 questions correctly.

What does it mean? The Wonderlic test is just a small piece of the evaluation process, designed to gauge the intelligence of prospects. What NFL teams value much more highly is football intelligence — how quickly a player can instinctively read, react and make plays on the field.

"Peterson plays like a low-test guy," one NFL decision maker told PFW on the condition he remain anonymous, "but (if) he's in 'cat' (man-to-man) coverage in the NFL, it's not as big of an issue as it will be for offensive guys."

"He's a press corner," another longtime evaluator said. "His strong suit is that he can run and press. He won't play for the Patriots, where he's disguising coverage after coverage, but I still think he can be a No. 1 shutdown corner."

A scout with deep knowledge of the kid said, "The more I'm around him, the more I love him even more. I love the kid, and I love the talent. But I don't like the way he plays with his back to the ball. He has an instinct issue, and I think it's tied to his mental (ability). He can only handle so much. He's not a quick processor. It's a scary year to be drafting in the top 10 because they all have some issue."

The increasing complexity of NFL offenses creates more pressure for a receiver like Green, but teams are still split about how much of a concern his score is.

"He will get it," one evaluator said. "You're going to have to take it slow with him and let him start at one position and let him learn on the run. He's not going to be able to handle learning all three positions. If you ask him to be an X, Y and Z, you're setting him up for failure."

"A.J. won't reach his full potential," another evaluator said. "It's hard for dumb receivers. I don't know that Julio Jones (who scored a 15, ranking in the bottom 12 among wideouts) will be much better."

A third evaluator said, "You can't cover that guy. He's so difficult to defend. Will it take him some time? It could. That's on the coaches. It's their job not to give him too much. If you overload him, you could have some problems initially, but he's a great kid. He'll work at it. And he'll get it."

Florida OT Carl Johnson produced the worst score among this draft class, registering a 6, and Oklahoma RB Kendall Hunter was the only other athlete to record a single digit, scoring a 9.

The offensive line and quarterback groups, both expected to score highly given the premium placed on reading defenses and recognizing protection in the NFL, heavily represented the top 10 scores. Alabama QB Greg McElroy registered the top score, correctly answering 43 of the 49 questions he attempted. He was followed by Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo (41), Baylor OG Danny Watkins (40), Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien (38), Idaho QB Nathan Enderle (38), Central Michigan ILB Nick Bellore (36), Portland State TE Julius Thomas (35), Florida State QB Christian Ponder (35), Michigan OG Steve Schilling (35) and Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara (35).

Although the tests are designed to measure intelligence, many registered NFL player advisers help their clients prepare for the exam, and as a result, the test scores often may be inflated. The Wonderlic company says no tester should improve by more than a handful of points, and any improvement much greater than that should be dismissed.

Castonzo scored a 35 the first time he took the exam last spring, six points lower than he did at the recent Combine; McElroy scored a 32, jumping 11 points, and Enderle a 40, falling two. On the other hand, Watkins scored a 15 the first time he took the exam last spring, so his 25-point improvement will be discarded by NFL teams, which have expressed some concern about his ability to handle playing multiple positions despite having the physical skill set to play anywhere on the line. Bellore scored a 21 the first time he took the test, showing a 15-point improvement. Amukamara, who registered the top score for a cornerback, improved by 21 points from the 14 he recorded last fall, and teams that have interviewed him have said the 14 score is a closer indicator of his intelligence.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/201...-nfl-prospects

[Ebolapox]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE fall to us, green or jones!

[AustinChief]

HAHAHA GO SEC! Morons...

[Rain Man]

How are guys getting improvements of 15 to 25 points on a 50 point test? That points them toward a future with the Raiders or the Broncos.

And I thought McElroy was listed as a 48 in some other thread. No?

[Saccopoo]

NFL people are worried about wide disrepancies in a 50 question test that is supposed to determine a persons intelligence quotient? 50 questions?

I really wonder who the dumb **** is in all of this...

[mikey23545]

College students all!

[Ebolapox]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

College students all!

"college students."

yeah, they're only college students in name really.

[kcchiefsus]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

NFL people are worried about wide disrepancies in a 50 question test that is supposed to determine a persons intelligence quotient? 50 questions?

I really wonder who the dumb **** is in all of this...

You

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by kcchiefsus

You

Another quality contribution. Your literary acumen is nothing short of remarkable. Your ability to succinctly summarize a response with a single syllable word provides a near Beckettonian literary minimalism.

Bravo, sir. Bravo.

[KCrockaholic]

Most LSU athletes are really ****in dumb. Just sayin. It's the truth, so Peterson's score is no surprise.

[MahiMike]

If you draft one of those WRs, you can only have snap counts on 1...

[CoMoChief]

i just don't see how the wonderlic test shows anything in terms of it being related to anything that has to do with football. I don't even think it shows how someone would prepare for a game to be honest.

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

i just don't see how the wonderlic test shows anything in terms of it being related to anything that has to do with football. I don't even think it shows how someone would prepare for a game to be honest.

You don't see a correlation between problem solving skills, basic comprehension skills, studying skills, finding solutions under pressure.... and football?

If these guys can't study for a test that is important to their draft stock, you think they are going to study their playbook? You think they are going to understand how to read a defense on the fly?

[RippedmyFlesh]

I still think the Wonderlic is over rated.
The ability to think clearly during game conditions can not be measured taking
a test sitting at a a desk.

This statement means more to me than his score.

If you overload him, you could have some problems initially, but he's a great kid. He'll work at it. And he'll get it

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Dante84

You don't see a correlation between problem solving skills, basic comprehension skills, studying skills, finding solutions under pressure.... and football?

If these guys can't study for a test that is important to their draft stock, you think they are going to study their playbook? You think they are going to understand how to read a defense on the fly?

Lmao the only position where the wonderlic MIGHT matter is QB. Other than that, no there is no correlation. Jamaal Charles isn't the brightest guy in the world..and yet, he's a playmaker.

The Wonderlic doesn't mean shit for skill positions really. I'm pretty ****ing sure the majority of RBs/WRs/CBs got less than a 25 on it.

So yeah, the wonderlic doesn't matter to Julio Jones and AJ Green.

And studying playbook correlates NOTHING to the wonderlic. Have you ever seen an NFL playbook? Even the smartest people have trouble knowing the plays and memorizing them. Yet 1696+ players on NFL rosters are able to do it pretty easily.