Wonderlic to be supplemented by new aptitude test

[Mr. P]

 

Another change to the NFL Scouting Combine's testing is on the way.

The combine's testing has been tweaked over the years, and a significant adaptation is coming. The league plans to implement a second aptitude test to the itinerary for players this week, according to National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster.

An NFL source confirmed that the test will be part of this year's combine.

Foster said the test is not a replacement for, but rather a counterpart to, the much-criticized Wonderlic test. The Wonderlic has been used at the combines for decades after its origination as an aptitude test in the 1970s by legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry. The Wonderlic's usefulness and the ethics of relying on it have been a source of debate over the years.

According to Foster, the league spent time developing the new test with a university professor and the hope is that "it's something that's a little more evolved than the Wonderlic."

Clubs have long expressed the importance of the years of data built up on tried-and-true testing and measurements, enabling balanced comparisons, so Foster and other combine officials always have been reluctant to eliminate elements from the combine. One recent example is the addition of wingspan to measurements. Some people voiced concerns that wingspan is a more illuminating measurement than arm length, so it was added to the combine, but arm length wasn't eliminated.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000139911/article/wonderlic-to-be-supplemented-by-new-aptitude-test