Over The Pylon

We are mere days away from the NFL Draft on Saturday and most of the news about potential prospects and their problems has already been well publicized. Unfortunately for former Ball State QB Nate Davis, there was one critical piece of information that was yet to hit the mainstream media, and that was his Wonderlic test results.

For those unfamiliar, the Wonderlic is basically an intelligence test that is supposed to measure a prospect’s ability to succeed when it comes to grasping the intellectually heavy lifting of an NFL playbook and system. Prospects get 12 minutes to answer the 50 question test. There have been numerous stories about former busts on the Wonderlic, including Vince Young, who hung a reported 6 on the board.

In comparison, Paul Zimmerman lists the following averages for the various positions in his book The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football:

• Offensive tackle – 26
• Center – 25
• Quarterback – 24
• Guard – 23
• Tight end – 22
• Safety – 19
• Linebacker – 19
• Cornerback – 18
• Wide receiver – 17
• Fullback – 17
• Halfback – 16

Before you get to Nate’s results, his QB competition in this year’s draft included well-reviewed prospects who also put up fairly impressive Wonderlic scores. Matt Stafford (Georgia) put up a 38, Mark Sanchez (USC) put up a 28, and Josh Freeman (Kansas State) scored a 27. All respectable, and all way ahead of Nate Davis, who scored a, wait for it…. 11, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Saturday.

Now, I, along with others, will tell you that taking a 50 question test, to me, is in no way a sure-fire indicator of potential success in the NFL. I’m sure a QB like Terry Bradshaw would have struggled mightily on the Wonderlic, if he even could have got the seal open. But the fact remains that those that matter seem to hold the Wonderlic in fairly high regard, and this is simply another possible reason for pause for those who may consider selecting the QB, learning disability or not.

Regardless, I’m sure when the Draft draws to a close on Sunday, there will be no one happier to have it over than Davis, who can hopefully get away from test results, pro days, and combines, and get back to what he’s good at: flinging the pigskin all over the field.

Filed under: NFLDraft |