Johnny Football: Wonderlic

by Mario "Game" Granata
With the 2014 Draft later this year, there are just some things that people are talking about that make you shake your head.  Johnny Manziel scored a 32 on the Wonderlic and all the fans of Johnny Football are coming out of the woodwork to talk about how this will make him a lock as a Top 10 pick.  As Lee Corso would say, 'Not so fast, my friend.'

There are some strange stories made out of nothing when the draft is approaching, and with the 2014 NFL Draft being later than usual, there are some stories that make people shake their head.  Johnny Manziel scoring a 32 on the Wonderlic test, which is administered at the NFL Combine, is one of those stories. 

For those who don’t know, the Wonderlic is a 50 question test that has to be completed in 12 minutes, and is geared to tests a player’s problem solving ability.  Many people associated with the NFL think that the test is meaningless.  Well, for those who do, Manziel scoring a 32 doesn’t mean anything.  For those who make it a big deal, think it is a sign of things to come for Johnny Football because he scored so well. 

Let’s take a look at where Manziel stacks up with other quarterbacks:

Ryan Fitzpatrick: 48.  This is what you would expect from a Harvard grad that scored above a 1500 on his SATs, but as Fitzpatrick goes into his 10 year in the NFL, he is on his 5th team.  I wonder if he took any stock in U-Haul.

Matt Stafford: 38.  The Gunslinger for the Detroit Lions, a first overall pick, scored an impressive 38, but as the test states, it is all about problem solving.  Apparently 12 of the questions were asking about throwing into double coverage.

Colin Kaepernick: 38.  Kissing his bicep, wearing a Dolphins hat, and the recent allegations against the fleet footed QB of the 49ers apparently weren’t on his version of the Wonderlic.  Seems he is creating more problems than solving them at this point.

Peyton Manning: 28.  This is probably the only time that you will be able to utter the words ‘Manziel beats Manning’ in your lifetime.  Diagnosing problems on paper is far different then on the field.  Start taking notes Johnny.

Mark Sanchez: 28.  Criticized for coming out of college too early, Sanchez is another case of not transferring his off the field intelligence to the game.  You beat Sanchez, Johnny, but then again, who hasn’t at this point.

Tim Tebow: 22. No.

Dan Marino: 15.  One of the lowest scores by an NFL quarterback, Marino proved the uselessness of the Wonderlic.  If you have an arm with the ability to throw a football through a brick wall, it doesn’t matter if you can’t calculate how long it takes a train to arrive in Penn Station.

So, as you can see, the Wonderlic, isn’t really an accurate measurable when evaluating quarterbacks in the NFL.  A score of 20 is average, and a score of 10 suggests that a person is literate.  The fact that Manziel scoring a 32 means that people are trying to make something out of nothing, and with a score like that, you’d think that he would be able to read more than beer cans or his own signature.