One part of the whole NFL draft-combine-orgy spectacular is the handing out of the Wonderlic tests. I don’t know what a real one looks like (all I know is the simulated one you can do in the Madden games when you make your own player to draft), but they seem like random questions that can be used as one way to examine a draft prospect but not a total picture. Is this some foreshadowing for what the post will be about?
Surprise! It is! The daughter of the creator of the Wonderlic, Kathy Kolbe, said that when it comes to the Wonderlic, the NFL is doing it wrong.
Each year, the NFL issues the 50-question Wonderlic test to all invited prospects, and the test’s supporters suggest that it can measure how mentally prepared a player is to handle the NFL’s demands. A high score — 20 is considered average, although the standard is closer to 25 for positions that require quick thought, such as quarterback and left tackle — can solidify a youngster as a can’t-miss draft commodity. A lower score is often seen as a red flag that sometimes overshadows a player’s physical ability.
…Kolbe has her own test, and she says it fills the holes the Wonderlic test leaves behind. “The Kolbe,” as it is casually known, measures what she refers to as an instinctive modus operandi, or conative skills, the traits each of us is born with.
She says the NFL should use both tests for a more complete look into prospects’ minds. The Wonderlic for measuring cognitive ability and the Kolbe for conative skills. Sure, she admits she’d like to sell her test the same way the Wonderlic has sold its product, and if that makes her sound biased, then she says so be it.
“How can you be satisfied,” says Kolbe, a theorist and educator, “with understanding only one part of the brain?” –Kansas City Star.
Well, at least she’s honest. She’s right, too. I don’t know how much stock teams put into Wonderlic tests now, however. Investing too much thought into one aspect of a prospect won’t give you a full picture of how good or bad he is. This is why scouts ask questions about whether or not your mom’s a whore. Right, Jeff Ireland? People don’t forget, bro.
Picture I enjoy via here.
