NFL Draft 2012: Why Morris Claiborne's Wonderlic Score Won't Affect Draft Stock

Morris Claiborne's reported Wonderlic score of four might make for some fun headlines, but it will certainly not have an impact on the LSU cornerback's draft stock. 

Claiborne's four out of 50 on the Wonderlic may have at first seemed embarrassing—before it was later revealed that the 22-year-old has a learning disability—but it's certainly not damming. If he played middle linebacker, quarterback or even safety, a low score like that would be a problem. However, as a cornerback, Claiborne doesn't need to call out coverages or diagnose offensive plays. He basically just needs to react.

Remember, fellow LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson only scored a nine in 2011, while Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green had a 10, according to USA Today. Both players reached the Pro Bowl in their rookie seasons in 2011. Clearly, those poor scores didn't have a negative effect on what they could do on the field.

Claiborne is the best pure cover corner in this 2012 draft class and he will certainly come off the board within the first six picks of the 2012 NFL draft. A bad Wonderlic score isn't going to change any of that. 

I currently have him landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 5 overall pick and I really don't see that changing any time soon. Teams do their own background checks on players and personal interviews weigh much more heavily than test scores for prospects. 

Almost all reports about Claiborne say he is a good kid and a hard worker. Those two traits will be far more important to his success in the NFL than whether or not he scored highly on the Wonderlic test.

While it couldn't have been fun to hear that he scored such a low number on the test, Claiborne's Wonderlic score won't hurt him on draft day.