The NFL Combine kicks off this week. Prospects will be measured for height, weight, arm length, hand length, body fat percentage. They will be tested for speed, strength, power, and agility with a 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle, and 3-cone drill. Then they will take an intelligence test to measure cognitive ability and problem-solving aptitude.
On the field, football players need to react to ever-changing circumstances, solve complex problems, and make sound judgment calls all under time constraints. (A great training ground for the events and pressures players will face later in life.) Playing football requires a great deal of concentration, resourcefulness, and spatial reasoning, all tested by the NFL with the Wonderlic test. The Wonderlic test, created in 1936, contains 50 math, vocabulary, and reasoning questions. Each question is worth 1 point and a score of 20 is considered average intelligence. A good score is 26+. There has been one perfect score; a Punter from, as you might expect, Harvard.
The average scores by position reveal that the Offensive Linemen score the highest on the Wonderlic. Offensive Tackles average a 26, Centers are a close second at 25, Quarterbacks come in 3rd with a 24, and Guards round out the top four with a 23. Although it may surprise some, it comes as no surprise to us OLine guys who have for years served as the quiet professionals who consistently deliver performance without pursuit of accolades or attention.
Come learn more about OLine play and the quiet professionals who excel in these roles at the Alercio OLine Clinics at the Hun School of Princeton (NJ) on 23 April and St Johnsbury Academy (VT) on 11 June. (Register here: 2023 Alercio O’Line Clinic Brochure)
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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