Wonderlic Test: How Johnny Manziel’s Compares With the Best — and Worst — Quarterbacks
The Wonderlic test is used by a variety of groups for testing the aptitude of employees and would-be employees, but by and large, most people tend to associate the Wonderlic test with up-and-coming NFL draftees.
Upcoming rookies who do well on their Wonderlic test see a huge bump in their draftability. Those who score poorly on the Wonderlic test can see their draft stock drop to dangerous levels.
So, now that it appears that Johnny Manziel has scored a solid 32 on his Wonderlic test, it seems that there is nothing left to keep him from becoming a top draft pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
The Wonderlic test is a difficult test that consists of 50 questions. As if answering 50 questions weren’t hard enough, those who take the test only have 12 minutes to answer as may questions as possible.
A perfect score among NFL rookies is nearly unheard of, though former NFL punter Pat McInally actually was able to completely ace the exam. It didn’t hurt that McInally was a Harvard graduate.
You may wonder how other NFL quarterbacks have fared on the Wonderlic test. Some have done well — others not so well. While the NFL doesn’t release results, ESPN has reported that it has been able to learn some of these Wonderlic test scores.
Blake Bortles
The Central Florida quarterback who is looking to be a high draft pick in the 2014 NFL draft scored a 28. While this Wonderlic test score is a bit lower than Manziel’s, it is still definitely at a respectable level.
Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater, coming out of Louisville and being touted as perhaps the number one overall draft pick in the 2014 NFL draft, has a lot of eyes on him. Bridgewater’s score of 20 on the Wonderlic test doesn’t necessarily help him. While 20 is demonstrative of about average intelligence, it is quite a bit lower than Bortles and Manziel.
Current NFL Quarterbacks
ESPN reports that of the 31 quarterbacks who are projected to start in 2014 and have reported Wonderlic test scores. the average score is about 29. Of quarterbacks drafted in the last three seasons, Andrew Luck of the Colts and the 49er’s Colin Kapernick have the highest score — 37.
The quarterback with the highest Wonderlic test score in the NFL is Kansas City’s Alex Smith, who scored 40.
Conversely, some quarterbacks have made success in the NFL draft harder on themselves thanks to their Wonderlic scores. Former Titans quarterback Vince Young supposedly scored a whopping six on the Wonderlic test. Not hard to see why he’s had trouble being successful in the NFL.
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