Alright, let's break this down and give it a more laid-back, web fiction vibe:
---
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is like this super quick and reliable way to measure general smarts. It checks out your verbal, numerical, and spatial skills, plus how good you are at solving problems. The whole thing takes just twelve minutes, has fifty questions, and the top score you can get is fifty.
This test is kinda like those IQ tests everyone knows about, but it's simpler and more focused. If you score twenty, that's considered average intelligence, which is like getting a hundred on an IQ test.
In pro football, playbooks are crazy complicated, with up to twenty thousand plays. Each play, whether offensive or defensive, has a ton of combos, so every player has to know the playbook inside out—not just skim through it. This means players need to be pretty smart.
The quarterback, though, is the big deal. It's the most crucial position on the team. The QB has to know the whole playbook, both offense and defense. Sure, they only need to read the defense part, but they gotta understand the offense part deeply.
As the field commander, the QB is the only one who can chat with the coaching staff in real-time through an earpiece during the game. Plus, they have to handle all sorts of unexpected stuff and make quick decisions. If needed, they can change tactics on the fly. So, overall control, quick reactions, and problem-solving skills are super important.
College football is all about talent, but in the pros, it's about brains. In the NFL, lots of QBs have been cut or even forced to retire because they couldn't master the playbook or keep up with tactical changes. That's why the Wonderlic Test is a big deal.
But hey, it's just a test. Scoring fifty doesn't make you a genius QB, and scoring below twenty doesn't mean your career is over. It all depends on the person.
Over the years, each position on the field has an average score. If you hit that mark, you should be good.
Surprisingly, the highest average score isn't for QBs but for offensive tackles, with an average of twenty-six. QBs average twenty-four. The lowest scores are for running backs, with fullbacks averaging seventeen and halfbacks sixteen.
For comparison, journalists average twenty-six, and programmers average twenty-seven.
The twelve-minute test flew by. With fifty questions, there wasn't much time to think. Before he knew it, Luke had finished. The score popped up right away and got recorded in his file, along with other test data that would follow him throughout his career.
Luke also got a certificate on the spot, printed by a computer, proving he took the Wonderlic Test. After some basic info like his birth date, Luke's score was listed at the bottom.
"Congrats!" The test proctor smiled, checking out Luke's certificate, and said, "Luke, right?" After Luke nodded, the proctor smiled again, "This is a moment to remember. Congrats again!" He handed the certificate to Luke.
Looking at the score, Luke couldn't help but laugh, feeling all sorts of emotions.
"Top-heavy," was the first thing that came to Luke's mind. He had scored a perfect fifty on the Wonderlic Test!
He wasn't sure if this was just an IQ thing or a reflection of his mental toughness and willpower. After completing a special task yesterday, his mental resilience had jumped by two points, now at eighty-three and eighty.
From elementary school to high school to college, throughout his football career, Luke knew his strengths and weaknesses. His physical shortcomings often put him at a disadvantage, earning him the nickname "Bambi," which wasn't exactly a compliment on the field. But his strengths were in tactical distribution, quick decision-making, reading defenses, and passing choices. He was a cerebral quarterback.
He didn't know if "cerebral" quarterbacks were really a thing in pro football, but that was his deal.
Understanding something is one thing, but until today, it was just a hunch for Luke. Now, it was confirmed. Even though he wasn't bogged down by injuries, his fragile physical stats still couldn't hold up in tough confrontations. But hey, he nailed a perfect fifty on the Wonderlic Personnel Test.
If that ain't top-heavy, what is?
"Yo, Bambi, did you hear?" Logan came barreling through the crowded room, grinning like he had the juiciest gossip. He nudged Luke's shoulder. "Someone aced the Wonderlic today. Perfect fifty! Everyone's buzzing about it. Who's the freak, huh?" Logan scanned the room, trying to spot the "freak."
"Did you hear about it too?" Some random dude nearby chimed in, and soon a small crowd gathered. "This is only the second player since 1975 to get a perfect fifty on the Wonderlic. Thirty-five years, man! Pat McInally was the last one."
Back in '75, Luke wasn't even born. Heck, none of the rookies at today's draft camp were. "Did he get drafted back then?" Luke asked, curious.
"Fifth round," another guy shouted. "I mean, we're playing football, not applying to Harvard, right? A perfect score is just a cool stat; it doesn't mean much on the field."
"Not necessarily. Pat was a wide receiver, so it wasn't a big deal. The average score for wide receivers is only seventeen. Even with a perfect score, he wasn't gonna sprout wings. But if it were a quarterback, now that would be something!"
"Probably not as big a deal as a quarterback scoring sixteen."
"Just now, Blaine Gabbert from the University of Missouri scored forty-two, and everyone's talking about it. They think it might boost his draft stock this year. He could even go in the first round! And now, there's a perfect score. Man, the competition this year is wild."
The chatter got louder and more excited. The body measurements and injury checks usually take just a few minutes unless there's a surprise, but the Wonderlic Test needs a solid twelve minutes. This meant a bunch of rookies were hanging around outside the testing room.
In no time, the news about the second player ever to score a perfect fifty on the Wonderlic spread like wildfire across the field.
"Hey Cam, what'd you score on the test?" someone called out from nearby. Cam's voice came back, a bit shaky, "Doesn't matter. This test is useless to me. I won the Heisman Trophy without it, didn't I?" That usually grating voice sounded a bit more subdued now.
"True that. An average score is enough. What's the average for quarterbacks again?"
"Twenty-four."
"Right, and for running backs? Sixteen is enough for them. Haha, I got nineteen!"
"Idiot, nineteen just means you're a dumbass. What's there to be happy about?"
"A dumbass can still get better and kick your ass, and that's enough!"
Amidst all the noisy banter, Cam's voice just vanished, like he was trying to disappear. That was weird.
Since hitting Indianapolis yesterday, Cam had been all over the place, making sure everyone knew the new Heisman Trophy winner was here for the draft. But now, he was trying to blend into the background?
But hiding wasn't easy for him. His big frame was like a neon sign, and his odd behavior just made people more curious. "Cam, what's up? You don't look so hot."
"Nothing... nothing..." Cam stammered, "It's just a bit stuffy in here."
"Cam! You only scored twenty-one? Jesus, I got twenty-one too. Are you sure you're a quarterback and not a running back? You scored the same as me!" A booming voice cut through the room, grabbing everyone's attention. First thing they saw was Cam's red face, looking like he was about to blow, and then Marcus stepping out from behind him.
Marcus snatched the certificate from Cam's hand, waving it around with a big grin. "This is hilarious! Cam, you should be a running back instead!" Marcus laughed hard.
Next second, Cam grabbed the certificate back and raised his fist, ready to throw down. Marcus quickly darted over to Luke, still laughing, "Cam! Cam! Cam!" No more words needed; the humiliation was enough.
Cam stood there, fists clenched. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but not in the way he liked: mockery, ridicule, scorn, disdain, shock, sympathy, pity.
Damn it! Damn it!
Cam looked up and saw Luke standing in the crowd. His Asian face stood out among the white and black faces, making him super noticeable. Cam's anger flared out of control. "What are you looking at? Damn Asian, how many points did you get? Probably only ten, right?"