Wonderlic Scores: The Noodles at Cal

(This is 90% Danzig, with some great data; my small contribution is the Analysis section after the scores and before the sources)

I was catching up on my RSS feed yesterday and I came across a report that NFL-Wonderlic-IQ-test--250408" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker ('/outbound/article/bleacherreport.com');">Mario Manningham of Michigan scored a ‘6′ on his Wonderlic IQ test. A fricking ‘6′?? I thought he went to the second best public university in the nation?? Jesus, even Chris Leak squeezed out an got an ‘8′… and he only went to Florida. I swear I’d give a $1,000 if I could find out what our own President would get on the test.

“You’re kidding!… You got an ‘8′ too??”

Which got me thinking, what kind of Wonderlic scores did the BEST public university in the nation produce?

As a background, the Wonderlic is an IQ test where you get 12 minutes to answer 50 multiple choice questions. A score of ‘20′ is judged as ‘average intelligence’ while a score of ‘10′ indicates literacy issues. Statistically, you can score a ‘5′ or ‘6′ just by guessing randomly. You are allowed one retest and can accept the higher of the two. Retest scores are usually higher, but many actually score lower. Here are some NFL averages:

* Offensive tackle - 26
* Center - 25
* Quarterback - 24
* Guard - 23
* Tight end - 22
* Safety - 19
* Linebacker - 19
* Cornerback - 18
* Wide receiver - 17
* Fullback - 17
* Runningback - 16

So how about our Bears versus the best public universities in the nation? Excuse me for being surprised, but we stack up pretty well. When I average the top 5 recorded scores for each of the schools, Cal comes out on top. (NOTE: You can’t average all the players for each school because some schools send more kids to the NFL than others).

University of California, Berkeley (38.2, avg of top 5, 36.4 without ML)
42 - Marshawn Lynch* (14 on first try)
39 - Aaron Merz
39 - Aaron Rogers
36 - Thomas Decoud
35 - Justin Forsett
33 - Ryan Riddle
31 - Dante Hughes
30 - Mark Wilson
29 - Lorenzo Alexander
27 - Kyle Boller
26 - Chase Lyman
25 - Tim Mixon (18 on first try)
23 - Lavelle Hawkins
15 - Deltha O’Neal
14 - JJ Arrington
12 - Geoff Mcarthur
10 - Brandon Mebane

*I can’t find a second source for ML’s ‘42′, but doesn’t change the school order either way. Note large jumps in score are common during retests. (wait, is it racist that I’m even questioning this?)

(Note from Avinash: Well, Deltha O’Neal panned out well. So did Marshawn. Are Rodgers, Decoud and Forsett going to hold up their side of the curve?)

More Wonderlic scores from other big schools after the jump.

University of Michigan (35.6, avg of top 5)
42 - Drew Henson
39 - Brian Griese
37 - David Baas
33 - Tom Brady
27 - Braylon Edwards
24 - Markus Curry
24 - John Navarre
22 - Chad Henne
21 - Kevin Dudley
21 - Marlin Jackson
20 - Scott Dreisbach
16 - Ernest Shazor
16 - Elvis Grbac
6 - Mario Manningham

University of Virgina (33.4, avg of top 5)
39 - Heath Miller
36 - Patrick Estes
34 - Chris Canty
30 - Matt Schaub
28 - Brandon Albert
26 - Albert Perlman
25 - Elton Brown (13 on retest, some test lower on second try)
20 - Marquis Weeks
17 - Aaron Brooks
16 - Darryl Blackstock

University of California, Los Angeles (28.4, avg of top 5)
30 - Cory Paus
29 - Troy Aikman
28 - Cade McNown
28 - Rodney Leisle
27 - Craig Bragg
25 - Manuel White Jr
25 - Dave Ball
24 - Brandon Chillar
22 - Matt Ware
20 - Tab Perry
19 - Ben Emanuel II
13 - Marcedes Lewis

Just for fun, what about them Farm boys?

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