Companies sometimes use pre-employment tests to determine a candidate’s cognitive ability.
The NFL is no different, as the league utilizes the infamous Wonderlic test to assess prospects prior to the NFL draft.
Scores of some of this year’s receiver class were released, and several of the 49ers’ assumed top targets didn’t fare so well.
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Henry Ruggs, who many have linked to San Francisco in recent weeks, lands right on the average Wonderlic score of 20. His former college teammate Jerry Jeudy, the 49ers’ No. 13 pick in NBC Sports Bay Area’s latest mock draft, rounds out the bottom of the group with a nine. Oklahoma product CeeDee Lamb finished with a 12.
Now, Wonderlic scores are far from an exact science when it comes to predicting success in the NFL. Players with the five-highest scores in league history have a combined one Pro Bowl appearance.
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Meanwhile, NFL stalwarts like former 49ers running back Frank Gore (six), Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green (10), and Hall of Famer Randy Moss (12) put together phenomenal careers in spite of well below-average scores.
Some of the 49ers’ recent draft picks have scored very highly on the test, however.
It’s no secret that you don’t need an Ivy League education to have an elite NFL career. While mental capability is an important part of an NFL player’s evaluation, there are numerous other factors that come into play.