The Wonderlic Test Is Being Dropped At NFL Combine
According to an Associated Press report released Wednesday, the NFL has plans to eliminate the Wonderlic test for prospective draft picks who are typically asked to take the cognitive ability test that measures intelligence.
Removing the Wonderlic from the Combine is just one change that the league will institute in 2022, the AP reports. Combine drills will be updated for wide receivers and tight ends to test crossing route speeds instead of wheel routes. Running backs will be tested on option routes instead of corners and post routes.
But the big news from the NFL's changes is definitely the Wonderlic hitting the chopping block. And teams have been warned that unprofessional conduct during interviews with prospective draft picks could result in loss of draft picks.
The AP reports teams have been notified that they will forfeit a pick "between the first and fourth round and be fined a minimum of $150,000" if league officials determine "unprofessional" behavior by team representatives.
What specific type of conduct will result in punishment from the NFL? The AP points to an incident in 2010 where Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland asked Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. Ireland later apologized for that question.
There's also Dan Quinn asking cornerback Eli Apple about his sexual preference during an interview conducted by the Falcons.
Ben Watson, who scored one of the highest Wonderlic tests in NFL Combine history, says he was interrogated over smoking pot. Watson told the AP how he nearly confessed to a crime he didn't commit.
The history of the Wonderlic test in the NFL goes back to the 1970s when Tom Landry started using the test. Based on Landry's use of the test, the NFL started using it at the combine. It didn't take long before Dan Marino scored a 15 and Ray Lewis scored a 16. Both ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Harvard grads Pat McInally (perfect score) and Ryan Fitzpatrick destroyed the Wonderlic. McInally went on to develop the idea for Starting Lineup figures and eventually went to work for the Wonderlic organization. Fitzpatrick has gone on to make a fortune in the NFL while throwing 223 touchdowns and 169 interceptions.
Combine hero Mike Mamula scored a 49 and was out of the NFL after five seasons.
How will NFL executives determine whether a player is the genius they've been looking for or a moron who can turn into a Hall of Famer? It won't be via the Wonderlic.
Tunji Oki, PhD, a People Analyst at Google, wrote in 2015 that NFL teams could use job knowledge tests or situational judgment tests to determine how an individual would respond in a realistic job scenario. "While a knowledge test on a specific position may be overkill, a knowledge test on the rules, requirements, and policies of the NFL could yield significant predictive value," Oki notes in his 2015 report.