Deshaun Watson was considered one of the best quarterbacks coming out of College Football for the 2017 draft and he was able to show his skill set during the national championship game against Alabama when Clemson was able to avenge their loss from the previous season.
Many of us, particularly NFL scouts looking for a new franchise quarterback, were wondering if Deshaun Watson’s success in college football would translate in the NFL – and boy did it.
Shortly after replacing Tom Savage as the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans, Watson began lighting it up on the field. Unfortunately for Watson and his fans, he suffered a torn ACL mid-season. However many expect a bright future for 2018 and beyond.
One of the most anticipated results from the NFL Combine will be Deshaun Watson’s Wonderlic test score.
Deshaun Watson scored a slightly disappointing 20 on the 2017 NFL Wonderlic Test. This is the lowest quarterback Wonderlic score released yet.
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Fortunately for Watson, there have been many legendary quarterbacks with Wonderlic test scores than a 20, so the test score is not a stand-alone predictor of future success and has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Deshaun Watson cemented his legacy in College football by leading Clemson on a game winning drive in the national championship game against the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide. Because of this and because of sparkling comments made by Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, Deshaun Watson quickly became one of the most followed and talked about players during the NFL draft circus.
The question on everyone’s mind leading up to the draft was whether or not Deshaun Waton’s Wonderlic test score of 20 would change the minds of any general managers on draft day. The answer – maybe. Deshaun Watson may be the most promising quarterback to come out of the 2016 NFL draft, but at the time he was considered the 3rd most talented. Take a look at the table below to see for yourself.
| Quarterback | Wonderlic Score | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Trubisky | 25 | Round 1 – No. 2 | Bears |
| Patrick Mahomes | 24 | Round 1 – No. 10 | Chiefs |
| Deshaun Watson | 20 | Round 1 – No. 12 | Texans |
| Deshone Kizer | 28 | Round 2 – No. 52 | Browns |
| Davis Webb | 25 | Round 3 – No. 87 | Giants |
| C.J. Beathard | 26 | Round 3 – No. 104 | 49ers |
| Josh Dobbs | 29 | Round 4 – No.135 | Steelers |
| Nathan Peterman | 33 | Round 5 – No. 171 | Bills |
| Brad Kaaya | 34 | Round 6 – No. 215 | Lions |
| Chad Kelly | 22 | Round 7 – No. 253 | Broncos |
What is the Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic is a cognitive ability test that measure’s a test taker’s ability answer questions both effectively and quickly.
The Wonderlic test is a timed test lasting just 12 minutes and costs of 50 questions. That’s a mere 12 seconds per question, which forces test takers to quickly answer questions and answer as many of them correctly. In fact, the test was originally created so that only 2-5% of all test takers actually complete the test.
Questions cover a range of subjects, but questions mostly consist of arithmetic, logic questions and problem solving questions. Many of the questions are intentionally confusing or misleading, which can cause test takers to burn precious seconds while deciding on an answer.
Why does the NFL Combine Use the Wonderlic?
There are a few reasons why Deshawn Watson needed to go through the seemingly pointless process of taking the Wonderlic test. The first, and probably biggest reason, is tradition.
The Wonderlic test has been given to potential NFL players for nearly as long as the NFL has been in existence. The Wonderlic test was created in 1936 by E.F. Wonderlic as a means for employers to quickly analyze employees. The test was made popular in the 1970s by Dallas Cowboys head football coach Tom Landry, who used it as a tool for assessing talent coming out of College football players.
The second big reason the NFL still uses the Wonderlic test is the ability to compare.
Because the NFL has been giving the Wonderlic test to future NFL stars for decades, there is no reason to stop at this point. The Wonderlic prides itself on returning consistent scores throughout the years, meaning a test taker who got a score of 30 would likely get another score of 30 regardless of the amount of time between taking tests.
Other Quarterbacks in the 2017 Class
Every year people want to know who is the smarter quarterback in a particular draft class. Last year the honor went to Carson Wentz with an impressive score of 40 and Paxton Lynch received the worst score of the 12 quarterbacks drafted with a Wonderlic score of 18.