Fans have likely heard at least once whenever they follow the NFL draft about something called the Wonderlic test. There’s often a misconceptions regarding what it is. This isn’t like an SAT where one measures their intelligence. These tests are meant to measure the ability to think, learn, follow instructions and solve problems. All critical factors to the Chicago Bears draft focus.
Of course, the Wonderlic isn’t a deal-breaker for teams when it comes to prospects. It does, however, have some credence when a player either scores really high or really low. Take running backs for example. In 2017, Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey scored over 20 on the test. Both have become studs in the league.
By contrast, Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cooks scored quite low at 11 each. Both have proven to be major disappointments. There are exceptions of course. Frank Gore famously had a score of 6 on his Wonderlic and he’ll be going to the Hall of Fame. Still, it does provide a solid barometer.
That’s why it was interesting to see what one top Bears potential draft target delivered.
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Chicago Bears draft target Darrell Henderson delivers 12 on Wonderlic
Darrell Henderson of Memphis is one of the most intriguing running backs in the 2019 class. Not only was his production outstanding the past two years (3,000 yards, 31 TDs), he’s also tested well by showcasing his rare speed. He’s an exciting prospect that coaches would love to use as a weapon.
The only thing that would give a team pause is his Wonderlic score of 12. That is lower than preferred. Generally, a score of around 17 or higher is considered normal. Le’Veon Bell, Matt Forte, and Melvin Gordon were all names that scored within that range. One that low for Henderson is a minor red flag.
One to go along with others raised by scouts regarding his validity as a top back in this class.
“He’s really fast and those numbers for two years are hard to ignore but can he translate? When you go watch just the touchdown runs, there are a lot of bad fronts that he gets to feast on.”
Again, this is not to say Henderson will have a bad career. If he lands in the right situation he could easily become a dangerous weapon in the NFL. However, it is a bit of a concern knowing his ability to problem solve, learn, and take instructions is below average.
