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Carson Wentz, Jared Goff's Reported Scores on Wonderlic Test Revealed
March 28, 2016
Carson Wentz has eclipsed Jared Goff on many talent evaluators' draft boards, thanks in large part to his prototypical size and arm strength. Now, the North Dakota State product has another check in the win column: Wonderlic scores.
John Middlekauff of 95.7 The Game reported Monday that Wentz scored a 40 out of 50 on the combine's intelligence test, while Goff scored a 36. Both numbers are considered excellent overall, but this should only further Wentz's rapid rise up draft boards.
Unheralded to most casual observers for nearly the entire 2015 season, Wentz is now a surefire top-10 pick. Equipped with size (6'5", 237 lbs) and above-average athleticism (4.77-second 40-yard dash at the combine), he is everything scouts look for on paper. Playing at an FCS school kept him from the public's view, but NFL teams have fallen for him to the point that his largely lost 2015 campaign has been thrown out the window.
ESPN.com's Todd McShay currently has him going No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns, as does Bleacher Report's Matt Miller. The Browns recently signed Robert Griffin III, but that should do little to change things if Cleveland believes Wentz is a franchise quarterback.
"I think he's the most NFL-ready quarterback that we've had in the last couple of years," former NFL coach Jon Gruden said in an ESPN feature on Wentz, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Goff, who spent nearly all of 2015 as the consensus top-ranked quarterback, has become a bit of a victim of the draft process. Scouts who spent years raving about the Cal product have spent the past few months finding flaws. Whether it's his hand size (9"), arm strength or offensive scheme, the hand-wringing has seemingly made him the clear second option.
As it stands, Goff is going No. 7 to the 49ers in both McShay's and Miller's mock drafts. That seems like the top of his draft trajectory at this point. If the Browns pass on Wentz, it's theoretically possible Goff falls out of the top 10—assuming no team trades up.
Their solid Wonderlic results should help reinforce Goff and Wentz as the draft's top two quarterbacks. Wentz's score of 40 ranks among the best in recent NFL history, while Goff's is one point better than that of former Cal product Aaron Rodgers.
The idea that Wonderlics somehow translate to NFL superiority has long since been debunked, but getting a high score has never hurt anyone.
Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.