Marcus Mariota's Wonderlic Score Equal to Tom Brady, Topped Peyton Manning, Jameis Winston
By Jason McIntyre
Marcus Mariota scored a 33 on his Wonderlic test, edging out the likely No. 1 pick in this month’s draft, Jameis Winston. Mariota’s score was lower than that of Aaron Rodgers (35), equal to Tom Brady, and higher than Ben Roethlisberger (25). You can see a list of QB scores below.
Wonderlic scores, as we’ve been over before, are simply a tiny part of the equation that makes up a draft prospect’s resume. From NFL people I’ve spoken with, extremely low scores could be a sign of mild caution at certain positions. Like cornerback. Mo Claiborne scored a 4 on the test; he’s been a bust in Dallas. But just how much does it matter? That’s unknown. Patrick Peterson scored a 9 on the test; he’s a Top 10 cornerback in the league, perhaps even top five.
Carlos Hyde of the 49ers scored a 9, but the test doesn’t matter that much for running backs. He’ll likely become the starter this season. The test matters a bit more for wide receivers, and two recent 1st round picks who scored low on the test Cordarrelle Patterson and Tavon Austin (11 and 7, respectively) have largely struggled. But how much more does it matter? AJ Green only scored a 10, and he’s an elite receiver already.
Here are some QB scores from over the years (with the team they were drafted by):
Greg McElroy, NY Jets, 48
Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville, 42
Alex Smith, San Francisco, 40
Eli Manning, NY Giants, 39
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis, 37
Tony Romo, Dallas, 37*
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco, 37
Sam Bradford, St. Louis, 36
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay, 35
Christian Ponder, Minnesota 35
Marcus Mariota, ?, 33
Tom Brady, New England 33
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland, 32
Matt Ryan, Atlanta, 32
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati 29
Mark Sanchez, NY Jets, 28
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, 28
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville, 28
Jameis Winston, ?, 27
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland, 27
Ryan Mallett, New England, 26
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh 25
Robert Griffin III, Washington, 24
Cam Newton, Carolina, 21
Jake Locker, Tennessee 20
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota, 20
Derek Carr, Raiders, 20
Want to take a sample Wonderlic? Go nuts.
* Signed as undrafted free agent by Dallas.
[Some Wonderlic scores taken via here]