2012 NFL Draft: How Important Is a Wonderlic Score to on-Field Success?

The Wonderlic test.

You've heard it before, but what exactly is it, and why does it matter how high or how low an individual scores on it? 

The Wonderlic test is short for the Wonderlic Personnel Test. It is a series of 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes. The test was created back in the 1930s, as a means of testing an employee's cognitive abilities in the areas of vocabulary, math and reasoning. 

As with most successful inventions throughout history, someone eventually finds a great new use for it. Tom Landry first began administering the Wonderlic to players as a coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s. 

The NFL now regularly administers this test to players invited to the scouting combine as one of their 'measurables'.  It has been tweaked and changed over the years, but the idea is the same. A score of 20 is said to be average intelligence levels. 

So why would we care if our potential No.1 draft pick scores a five on the Wonderlic? Conversely, why would we care if he scores a 48? Is there any real correlation between high Wonderlic scores and NFL success? 

Nope.

There are several examples of great players who score low on the test and become superstars, even Hall of Famers. Terry Bradshaw only scored a 13. He won four Super Bowls. Players can score very high and be out of the league in three years. No test in the world, singularly, can predict a players success, or lack thereof. 

As if predicting the success of NFL draftees isn't difficult enough for general managers, they also have to take into account a player's Wonderlic score. If they draft a QB very high, and he turns into an incredible bust, that's one thing. If he turns into an incredible bust and scored low on the Wonderlic, the media will blast it all over television and the internet, and the GM will take a lot of heat from the fanbase.

The average fan will think the low test scores should have been a clear indication to not take that player.

There have been several tests done in an effort to make sense of Wonderlic scores and how they relate to a players ultimate success, but none have proved anything conclusively. 

The fact is that a guy might be a weird, head-case who couldn't pump his own gas if he had a manual and an assistant, but when it comes to reading a defense or throwing a perfect spiral 80 yards on a dime he's Bobby Fischer. 

Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning, the last two Super Bowl-winning QB's each scored impressive scores of 35 and 39. To the contrary, Tim Tebow only scored a 22 and Heisman winner and No.1 overall pick Cam Newton notched a 21. The highest ever for a QB was Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick with a 48. 

He went to Harvard.

The lowest score ever? While these are usually supposed to be kept secretive, they eventually come out. Some sooner than others. Former LSU cornerback and likely top-10 pick Morris Claiborne reportedly scored a four this year. If the reports are accurate, it may raise some concerns. 

If you are trying to evaluate and predict a players NFL potential, the Wonderlic is more of a novelty than a real-science way to go about it. There are so many other factors to consider when drafting a player. The Wonderlic should be on the lower part of your checklist.

If your draftee scores a four, however, it might be okay to reconsider.