Wonderlic scores for Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews are leaked
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Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune is reporting some of the Wonderlic scores achieved by the 2009 NFL draft class. The 12-minute intelligence test is always a hot topic in sports when the scores leak out (have you ever seen them on an official website?). Out of 50 questions, with each correct answer worth one point, a score of 10 shows basic literacy. The average NFL prospect scores 19 to 20 -- about the same as the general population.
Mark Sanchez apparently led the way for USC with a very respectable 28. All of the rest of the Trojans scores released were from linebackers: Clay Matthews (27), Brian Cushing (23), and Rey Maualuga (15).
While nobody really humiliated himself this year, Maualuga’s result ain’t, uh, good. It isn’t as bad as North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (11) nor Florida star receiver Percy Harvin (12), but Maualuga’s role as middle linebacker means he’s expected to be the defensive signal caller. Harvin, who simply played catch-me-if-you-can as a Gator, could also be in trouble because he will have to learn more complicated schemes at the next level.
Western Michigan’s Louis Delmas might be the first safety chosen in the draft, but scored only a 12. According to Pompei, ‘one front office man said he was not concerned about Delmas’ score because he plays smart.’
Maryland cornerback Kevin Barnes has the highest known score this year, 41, followed by Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford with 38. There has been one reported perfect score, by Harvard alumnus Pat McInally in 1975. Generally, offensive linemen have the most impressive scores while several of the skill positions (wide receivers and running backs) seem to drop the ball.
The test was created by Al Wonderlic and gained popularity around 1960. Today, it’s administered in 14 languages for 7,000 businesses and 2.5 million people per year. About 300 of them are NFL prospects. For more on the use of the test in the NFL combine, Wonderlic has a video on its website.
-- Adam Rose