Jonathan Paul Manziel

DieHardBrownsFan

Johnny Manziel's Strong Wonderlic Test Could Boost Draft Stock Even Further

Thursday, April 10, 2014 9:59 pm

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Johnny Manziel's already-high draft stock could be on the rise again.

Weeks after Manziel impressed scouts at his pro day last month, the 21-year-old from Texas A&M can now add a strong Wonderlic score to his portfolio.

Lance Zierlein, a Houston radio host, and John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout and current San Francisco radio host, each tweeted Thursday that Manziel had scored above 30, and NFL Network's Albert Breer reported Friday that it was a 32:

The Wonderlic test doesn't ask anything about football, and as is the case with many intelligence tests, it has been criticized for its reliability. It consists of 50 questions, with a 12-minute time limit. "The questions are not especially difficult, in and of themselves, but the compressed time frame is a wild card that can make questions seem more challenging," according to Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Although the Wonderlic has been used in numerous occupations, it is most famous as the aptitude/IQ test for NFL prospects."

According to Breer, the scores for the other top two quarterback prospects this year were 28 for Central Florida's Blake Bortles and 20 for Teddy Twatwater of Louisville.

There has only been one perfect score of 50 among NFL prospects on the Wonderlic, and it figures that the player who aced it was a Harvard man. Pat McInally, who went on to play 10 seasons with the Bengals as a punter and a receiver, registered the 50 in 1975, and his score might have actually worked against him, according to George Young, then the general manager of the Giants.

"He told me, 'That may have cost you a few rounds in the draft because we don't like extremes. We don't want them too dumb and we sure as hell don't want them too smart,' " McInally said to the Los Angeles Times.

Cincinnati took McInally in the fifth round (120th overall).

Another Harvard player, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, posted a 48 on his Wonderlic in 2005.

Of course, the important thing to remember here is that the Wonderlic score can be misleading. Wonderlic scores for quarterbacks drafted high the past few years have varied wildly. Scores for Cam Newton (21), Blaine Gabbert (42) and Christian Ponder (35), for example, have not correlated correctly with success or failure.

For what it's worth, other scores among active NFL quarterbacks include ...

40 Alex Smith
39 Eli Manning*
38 Colin Kaepernick
37 Andrew Luck
37 Tony Romo
35 Aaron Rodgers*
33 Tom Brady*
28 Peyton Manning*
28 Russell Wilson*
27 Joe Flacco*
25 Ben Roethlisberger*
24 Robert Griffin III

* Super Bowl Champion

Manziel is a top-five pick on many mock draft boards, and some have him going as high as No. 1. One of his limiting factors, in addition to his relatively small stature, is said to be questions about his character.

But these scores, as well as his in-person meetings with teams, appear to be easing those fears.

The Gipper

OK, but does Johnny Manziel = Bo Callahan?

hoorta

As I said earlier, scoring high on the test isn't a predictor of football success, though most teams use 20 as a cutoff for a qb.

And the test isn't exactly a predictor of true intelligence either. I knew Ponder was damn smart- he graduated from FSU in 2-1\2 years with a 3.73 GPA in Finance, and added an MBA before he even got drafted. So "only" a 35?

It's also been noted a lot of agents now prep their clients with copycat tests to get them ready for the real thing. That said, Carlos Hyde scored a 6, must have been majoring in creative basket weaving to stay eligible at OSU.

calfoxwc

Pretty sad. Bent Rothlickshisbooger, the ignorant scum, got a 25, and still

wasn't smart enough to stay out of trouble allegedly assaulting

a gal in a women's restroom.

MasterDog

38 Colin Kaepernick

That didn't help with the recent sexual 'abuse' charges against him.

Didn't Newton get a 21 last year?

Now, would anyone take Manziel over Newton?

Seriously?

Flyin J

@masterdog said:

38 Colin Kaepernick

That didn't help with the recent sexual 'abuse' charges against him.

those charges are bullshit. And that will come out.

Didn't Newton get a 21 last year?

Now, would anyone take Manziel over Newton?

I dont see a physical specimen of Newtons caliber in the draft, do you?

Seriously?

yep, QBs come in all shapes and sizes. Manziel is fun size.

MasterDog

So because there isn't one, we have to get the next thing out there.

No.

Manziel is going to suck.

Flyin J

@masterdog said:

So because there isn't one, we have to get the next thing out there.

No.

Manziel is going to suck.

I dont think so, and plenty more reputable people agree with me.

miktoxic

XxDaBuckeyexX said:
I dont think so, and plenty more reputable people agree with me.

and plenty more disagree. he prob splits a vote right down the middle.

very polarizing character as was tebow. you either love him or hate him.

Flyin J

@miktoxic said:

and plenty more disagree. he prob splits a vote right down the middle.

very polarizing character as was tebow. you either love him or hate him.

id say 90% of the boards ive seen have him in the top 20 players overall. Now, with that said, taking him at 4 is risky, but if he starts dropping......

calfoxwc

right now, I'm thinking that Savage, qb, is the better bet.

Word is on the NFL channel, that he may work himself into the top of the second round.

Which means, the Browns would have to draft him at #26.

Crazy draft.

Manziel has too many legit questions about the move up to the NFL.

Savage is the better bet. BTW, it's said he will be working out for about 24 NFL teams.

Flyin J

I dont think theres a Browns fan alive that was clamoring for the first two. But if you want Tom Savage at 26, you may be put in the PoG bin.

The Gipper

@walterwhite said:

What is the creepy obsession with statue lumbering doofus QB's and Browns fans?

Derek Anderson/Brandon Weeden/Tom Savage?

Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers....lumbering doofuses like those guys you say?

slowburn

my 12 yo nephew got a 40 on the wonderdick test

but seriously, test results to me are meaningless. we all know plenty of underachievers who can ace a test with the best of them but lack what we call common sense.

Football savvy can't be assessed through multiple choice, t or f questions or ink dot interpretation.

Attention to detail, and the ability to quickly learn new concepts and ideas are far more important.

Flyin J

@slowburn said:
my 12 yo nephew got a 40 on the wonderdick test

c'mon man, stop makin up games to get kids to touch you.....

slowburn

not on my watch, chim chim

Babernakle

Although I think Johnny is a idiot and will cause nothing but trouble. People still want him because he's a sexy pick. And hope somehow he can bring him play making to the nfl. First off in the nfl everyone is as fast or faster than him, two polarizing characters really bring locker rooms together. And finally it's cold in Cleveland the boy have never played in cold weather...... Ever!!!! Bad pick moving on.

Tim Couch Pulls Out

Don't believe the hype about Savage. He's another Weeden, at the end of the day. Big, prototypical pocket passer with below average mobility and accuracy concerns on both deep ball placement and crossing routes who can get flustered under pressure. Only difference is that Savage knows how to read a defense and call audibles, whereas Weeden didn't know what an audible was.

Flyin J

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:
Don't believe the hype about Savage. He's another Weeden, at the end of the day. Big, prototypical pocket passer with below average mobility and accuracy concerns on both deep ball placement and crossing routes who can get flustered under pressure. Only difference is that Savage knows how to read a defense and call audibles, whereas Weeden didn't know what an audible was.

I like Savage as a 5th or 6th round developmental QB, and the 2nd QB drafted.

Tim Couch Pulls Out

XxDaBuckeyexX said:
I like Savage as a 5th or 6th round developmental QB, and the 2nd QB drafted.

As would I.

But some people are talking about him moving into the second round and that way too high for him. He has physical tools, but there's too many question marks surrounding his game and mental acuity to condone taking him in the early rounds.

I couldn't see a team taking him to be their starter or #2 either, unless Jacksonville goes two QB's early this year.