The Deshaun Watson Wonderlic scores are out and people starting to lose their minds. Just like the ball velocity notes that came out of the combine, this latest news comes across as some sort of warning sign that NFL teams might be walking into a trap with the Clemson quarterback. Of course by now Chicago Bears fans are asking the inevitable question.
What the hell is the Wonderlic test anyway?
That’s fair. People have never really taken enough time to truly explain what it is and the purpose for using it at the scouting combine. Most people know that if a player hits a certain high number it’s apparently good and if they hit a low number it’s bad. Why though? Well here is an excerpt from wonderlictestsample.com to help explain.
“The Wonderlic Personnel Test was developed by E.F. Wonderlic in 1936. Like the IQ test, the Wonderlic was created to measure the intelligence of test takers. It consists of 50 questions that the examinees have 12 minutes to answer. An average score is 20, which would be roughly equivalent to an IQ of 100. The maximum score on the test is a 50.
Since its creation in the 1930s, the Wonderlic has been used by the military as well as private corporations to test candidates’ intelligence. It was first used in the NFL by legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry in the 1970s.”
Okay so in essence it’s a test meant to measure how well a football player can think under pressure. The higher the score, the more likely it is he’ll have a clear head when the pressure is highest on the field. In that case a fairly important test. Or is it?
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Deshaun Watson Wonderlic results aren’t supported by history
Based on general understanding, the expectations for a quarterback Wonderlic test are as follows. It’s preferred they hit a minimum score of 21. The average score is 24 and anything 30 or higher would be ideal. Andrew Luck for example scored a 33 five years ago. So basically any QB who comes in under that 21 threshold is a huge risk.
That’s not good news for Watson then. This table from Walter Football will help illustrate why.
So basically of all the combine quarterbacks who took the test, Watson had the lowest score. Not ideal considering his entire argument for being a top draft pick is intelligence, leadership and ability to thrive under pressure. Could this revelation hurt his stock as a possible first round pick?
Not really
In truth the Wonderlic can be a useful tool but it is by no means a surefire method to identify top quarterback talent. Some guys just aren’t good test takers. It’s the same for any position. Here is a list of quarterbacks over the years who performed, shall we say, “poorly” on the Wonderlic. Fans might recognize some of these names.
- Derek Carr (20)
- Daunte Culpepper (18)
- Terry Bradshaw (15)
- Jim Kelly (15)
- Randall Cunningham (15)
- Steve McNair (15)
- Donovan McNabb (14)
Just to recap that list features two Hall of Famers, a former league MVP, a six-time Pro Bowler, a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the best young QBs in the NFL right now. All of them had scores as bad or worse than Watson did.
So yeah. Maybe it’s not wise to completely trust in the Wonderlic as a deciding factor for quarterback evaluation.
