What the hell is the Wonderlic? It's a standardized intelligence test intended to measure problem solving potential. It is not an achievement test, like a spelling B, or a math challenge. You get 12 minutes to take the test. You have 50 problems to solve. If solve only 1 correctly, you score only one point. If you solve all 50 correctly, you score 50 points.
The average score for all QBs tested is just 24. The average for a STARTING QB in the NFL is 28.5. The average score for all Centers is 25. The average score for an OT is 26. How about 'dem apples? Computer programmers, such as myself, have an average score of 29. I would be willing to bet that I would score just a little higher than that. I am no mean programmer. The Chemistry professionals tally an average of 31.
Some quarterbacks have posted notoriously low scores. Michael Vick scored a 10. Akili Smith scored a 9. Vince Young scored a 6 on his first pass. They allowed him a mulligan, and he scored 15 the second time around. Some quarterbacks have shot the lights out. Matt Leinart scored 35. Tony Romo scored 37. Eli Manning score 39. Alex Smith scored 40. Former Ram QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (of Harvard) is rumored to have scored a 50. He denied that. Other reports place him at 48. He only said he knew he left one answer blank.
Does this predict performance on the field? I doubt it. Vince Young is a better NFL QB than Ryan Fitzpatrick any day of the week. There is your maximum high-low differential, and performance points in the other direction. Vick is also more dangerous than Fitzpatrick.
Ultra-heavyweight Canton QB Dan Marino notoriously scored a 16 on his Wonderlic. This may have been one of the reasons he slipped down the board on draft day. He is one of the greatest pure passers the world has ever known. In terms of purity of passing, it is Marino, Van Brocklin and Manning,
So how did our 2010 crop of lads score today?
- Tebow = 22
- Clausen = 23
- McCoy = 25
- Bradford = 36
They eye-popping score is Bradford's 36. He stands out amongst his peers. Rumor has it that Bradford also shot the lights out of the scoreboard in the personal interviews he did. Everybody was very impressed with him. If he is able to routinely score 36, he has the smarts to impress NFL decision makers.
Let us review the following three facts with some interest:
- The average of all QBs tested is 24
- The average of all starting NFL QBs is 28.5
- The average of the last 7 winning QBs in the Super Bowl is 30. (Eli biased that score up with his massive 39. Brady also pushed it up with his 33.)
As you can see, there is only one kid in this 2010 crop with a Wonderlic score that lines up with your team's best aspirations.
But does this really prove anything? A lot of busted picks scored high on the Wonderlic. Some very good QBs scored low. There is a more general controversy associated with standardized intelligence testing. There is a theory of background bias which suggests that you cannot write a culture neutral test. Whilst I have never taken a Wonderlic test myself, I must say the following. Standardized testing does measure the mind. It may not measure the dimensions you are concerned with, but it does measure intelligence, achievement, and cultural competence. All of these things are important.
If I have complaint, it is only this: I would like to see the SAT, ACT, and GREs on these kids as well. I would pay closest attention to the GRE (Graduate Review Examination) to determine if these kids got something out of their time in college, and if they have the potential for graduate work.
On the subject of Tim Tebow: Is Tebow's score bad? No. He was just 2 points off the average. His score is the same as Brett Favre's and it is higher than Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw (15) and Dan Marino (16). Reports that he flunked the test are bullshit. He was within 1 point of golden hype Jimmy Clausen.
So what have I gotten out of this? A real head-ache problem. As a computer programmer with a fairly high aptitude shown on most tests, I am biased towards individuals who can score high on these kinds of tests. I am horrified by the stupidity of ordinary people, several times a day on an average day.
On the other hand, as training Anthropologist with a lot of courses in human evolutionary biology under my belt, I can tell you that intelligence is adaptive, but only up to a point. It is a well known fact that exceptionally intelligent people fail to reproduce at an alarming rate. Ergo, in the strictest Darwinian sense of the term, high intelligence can be maladaptive. There are athletes who think to much on the field. These guys get into momentary conundrums they cannot solve rapidly because they are thinking about to many scenarios.
Regarding QBs, Kurt Warner was recently asked if he thought Matt Leinart would be a successful QB in Arizona. Kurt expressed doubt. He said that he knew Matt was book smart. He knew Matt had athletic ability. However, Matt has trouble turning his book knowledge into instant action and reaction on the field. Could that be because Matt's size 35 brain is cogitating too many scenarios when he needs to be rapidly decisive as Kurt Warner was? I think the answer is yes.
Marshall loves to say that thought is the enemy of speed. The more you think the more you stink.
Nevertheless, even with Marshall's words ringing in my ears, I have to be brutally honest: Bradford just piqued my interest for the first time in this NFL Draft season. I need to contain my biases, but Sam is looking a whole lot better to me all of a sudden.
We need to remember that we do not have the offensive line to protect this kid or make him a success. He will have to sit for a year minimum whilst we try to develop and build a better offensive line. I don't know if anyone will be able to bear 0.00 productivity out of our top pick in the year 2010. Rushing him in will be a recipe for disaster though.
Honestly, Suh in the 1st, Tebow in the 2nd, and Vick by trade still seems like a much more coherent strategy for success.
