The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is an exam given to every player who participates in the NFL's scouting combine. Scored on a 1-50 scale, the test consists of 50 questions that determine the taker's general intelligence level - a score of 20 indicates average intelligence, with 10 being very low and 30 being the median for your average electrical engineer.
Among NFL players, the results have varied wildly. Some scores have been incredibly high - former Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got a 48, Calvin Johnson got a 41, and Colin Kaepernick reportedly got a 38. Some scores have been...well, much less impressive.
We didn't include players who never made an NFL roster, because that just didn't feel like a very nice thing to do (also, you guys probably care more about the players you've heard of). For the record, 14 is the median score for janitors, while 17 is the median for security guards - we chose 17 as an arbitrary cutoff, and included the players under that score who you've probably heard of:
Terry Bradshaw, former Pittsburgh Steelers QB: 16
Dan Marino, former Miami Dolphins QB: 15
Hakeem Nicks, Indianapolis Colts WR: 11
Jeff George, former journeyman QB: 10
CJ Spiller, Buffalo Bills RB: 10
Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders K: 9
Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers RB: 9
Tavon Austin, St. Louis Rams WR/RB/KR: 7
Terrelle Pryor, Seattle Seahawks QB: 7
Vince Young, former Titans QB: 6
*There's still debate over whether the 6 was actually Young's score, or just an urban legend. Either way, the first result was so bad that Young decided to take the test a second time, scoring a 16.
Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers RB: 6
*Gore is dyslexic, which explains both his low score AND how someone who scored a 6 could become a top NFL running back.
NFL RECORD: Morris Claiborne, Dallas Cowboys CB: 4
*Claiborne has a reading-related learning disability, and there have also been claims that he "blew the test off" because he didn't think it was relevant to football. Still...four out of 50? Claiborne is tied for the #1 spot with former Iowa State RB Darren Davis, who never played a down of NFL football.
MORE: