Have You Been Wondering If The Wonderlic Matters In The NFL?

Getting into the NFL takes a few skills: Outstanding 40-yard dash time? Check. Have a large enough hand to grip the ball securely? Check. Now, answer the question, “Which one of these pairs of shapes is made up of duplicates?”

Wait. What?

Playing football, or playing it well at least, is about intelligence as much as it is pure physical strength, and that’s why the league and the teams that participate not only test prospective NFL players’ physical abilities, but they also test their mental aptitude. What good is a player who can run faster than anyone on the field, but can’t remember where he is supposed to be sprinting to? Sure, Forest Gump was lucky enough to sprint right on through the end zone, but teams aren’t willing to take that chance. The various organizations that participate in the NFL are looking for someone as smart as he is strong.

Is the Wonderlic really indicative of anything at all?
Though it doesn’t take place on the field, the standard test of intelligence within the NFL, the Wonderlic, is heavily scrutinized. Results of the test are poured over by team officials trying to weed out franchise cornerstones and individuals of every ilk who believe the test is vital, or completely useless, depending on who you ask.

Whether the Wonderlic test is actually indicative of a player’s future performance has yet to be determined. Johnny Manziel had one of, if not the, highest scores of any quarterback in the 2014 draft class. Mr. Football has also won as many professional-level football games as I have: zero. One of the highest scoring quarterbacks was the future Hall of Famer Ryan Fitzpatrick with a 48, while some loser named Dan Marino bombed with a 15 on the test. I hope you caught the sarcasm there.

What is this test anyway?
The cognitive assessment has been used by the NFL since the 1970s to evaluate incoming players, and over the course of four decades enough adjectives have been used to describe it to confuse even the likes of people with Ryan Fitzpatrick-like scores. The 50-question standardized test is used to determine one’s ability to solve problems and learn in a fast-paced, high pressure environment. It is not directly tied to an individual’s ability to read, write or spell, nor is it meant to evaluate a player’s personality.

Possible scores fall between 1 and 50, with the average score being around 20. Typically quarterbacks and offensive linemen have the highest scores, while wide receivers and running backs typically have the lowest.

Don’t worry if your score seems pretty low though. As mentioned above, the correlation between a player’s Wonderlic score and his career is loose, if that link even exists at all. Punter and wide receiver Pat McNally, a Harvard graduate who played 10 seasons, was the only person to have ever achieved a perfect score, according to SB Nation. He is also probably someone you’ve never heard of. Keyshawn Johnson, on the other hand, scored an 11 on his test. The former wide receiver currently works as a fairly successful television football analyst.

In the end, a successful career seems to depend on other things besides your Wonderlic score, though it isn’t to say that intelligence doesn’t play a role in an NFL career. Essentially, if you have solid character, a successful sports agent, put up great numbers in college and perform well at the combine or your school’s pro day, your Wonderlic seems to have little bearing on where you’ll go. However, it couldn’t hurt following up McNally’s performance on the test.