Johnny Manziel Reportedly Records Highest Wonderlic Score Among QBs
By Conor Cahill
Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Bleacher Report released an article today reporting that Johnny Manziel had one of the highest (and possibly the very highest) scores on the NFL’s wonderlic test among quarterbacks.
Heard from a couple of teams that wonderlic score for Manziel was "north of 30". If you are into those kinds of things.... & you may not be
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 10, 2014
I've been told Johnny Football had the highest wonderlic test of all the top QB's in this years draft
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) April 10, 2014
The wonderlic is a basic aptitude test used to measure the ability for someone to make decisions and problem-solve quickly. There are 50 questions to answer in just 12 minutes. 20 is considered the average, while a 30 is considered well above average. The scores are supposed to be confidential, but often times, those with abnormally high and low scores get leaked.
The highest scoring players are usually centers, left tackles, and quarterbacks. For reference, Vince Young posted a 6 while Ryan Fitzpatrick (a Harvard grad) posted a 48. Aaron Rodgers got a 35. As we have seen, they are not direct indicators of on-field performance, but just another piece of data about a prospect. For those interested in seeing what the test actually entails, you can take a sample Wonderlic here and see how you stack up with the pros.
For Manziel, a quarterback with character and motivation concerns, it may show that he is not the party animal the media has made him out to be. It could indicate to the teams that had their doubts about his commitment that Manziel is very serious when it comes to football and the preparation needed to succeed at the next level.