Average IQ of NFL Players: What the Wonderlic Shows
The NFL has never published IQ scores, so there's no official average IQ of NFL players. The closest thing is the Wonderlic, a 12-minute, 50-question test the league gave draft prospects at the scouting combine for decades. Widely cited position averages land around 16 to 26 out of 50, and since about 20 is often treated as roughly average for the general population, most NFL players look like they'd sit somewhere near the middle of the IQ curve, with linemen and quarterbacks a bit higher.
That's the rough picture for pros. If you want an actual reasoning score for yourself, without a 12-minute timer breathing down your neck, IQ Tester's untimed questions are a calmer place to start: Find my weak spots.
Average IQ of NFL players: the short answer
- No official IQ data exists for the average IQ in the NFL.
- The Wonderlic is the go-to proxy because scores were leaked or reported for years.
- Most positions average in the high teens to mid-20s on the Wonderlic, based on older widely cited data.
- Converting to IQ is rough. It gives a ballpark, not a real score.
So when your cousin says "the average IQ of American football players is 90" at Thanksgiving, the honest reply is: maybe, maybe not, and here's why nobody can say for sure.
What the Wonderlic is
What is the Wonderlic test?
The Wonderlic is a short general-ability test that companies have used for hiring since the 1930s. The classic version has:
- 50 questions
- 12 minutes
- A mix of math, vocabulary, logic and spatial questions
That's about 14 seconds per question. Almost nobody finishes. It's as much a speed test as a reasoning test.
The NFL combine test, explained
For decades, the Wonderlic was part of the NFL combine, the pre-draft event where prospects run, jump, lift and interview. Teams used it as one more data point. Scores were supposed to be private but leaked constantly, which is why fans know so many of them.
Does the NFL still use the Wonderlic?
Reports in 2022 said the league dropped the Wonderlic from the combine, with teams moving to other cognitive and decision-making assessments. Individual teams can still test players their own way, and those results stay private.
Wonderlic averages by position
The most-shared breakdown of Wonderlic scores by position traces back to football writer Paul Zimmerman's research. Treat it as older data, but the pattern still gets repeated today:
| Position | Average Wonderlic (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Offensive tackle | 26 |
| Center | 25 |
| Quarterback | 24 |
| Guard | 23 |
| Tight end | 22 |
| Safety | 19 |
| Linebacker | 19 |
| Cornerback | 18 |
| Wide receiver | 17 |
| Fullback | 17 |
| Running back | 16 |
Why offensive linemen score high
It surprises people, but it makes sense. Linemen have to learn complicated blocking schemes, call out protections and adjust to the defense before the snap. That's a lot of rule-following and pattern recognition.
Highest and lowest Wonderlic scores in the NFL
- Highest: Punter Pat McInally, a Harvard grad, is widely reported to have scored a perfect 50.
- Near the top: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (also Harvard) is often reported with one of the highest scores among QBs.
- NFL IQ test lowest score: Reports say cornerback Morris Claiborne scored a 4 in 2012, and he was still a top-10 pick. Some players have said they had learning difficulties or didn't take it seriously, which is a good reminder that a single timed score doesn't define anyone.
Quarterbacks: the highest scores
Average IQ of an NFL quarterback
QBs average around 24 on that widely cited list, which roughly lines up with an IQ a bit above 100 if you use common conversions. Teams care because quarterbacks have to:
- Learn huge playbooks
- Read a defense in about three seconds
- Change the play at the line
- Remember what worked last series
But history is full of high-scoring QBs who busted and low-scoring QBs who became stars. The test caught one slice of the job.
Converting Wonderlic to IQ (and why it's rough)
Wonderlic score to IQ
A common rule of thumb says a Wonderlic score of 20 ≈ IQ 100, and each point either way moves you a couple of IQ points. You'll see conversion charts all over the internet based on that idea.
Why it's rough:
- It's timed hard. Someone slow but accurate gets punished.
- The norms differ. The Wonderlic was normed on job applicants, not the general population.
- Combine pressure. Players were tired, stressed and taking it between workouts.
- Test prep varies. Some prospects practiced Wonderlic practice tests for weeks. Others walked in cold.
So a conversion gives you a vibe check, not a real IQ. The same goes for any "NFL players IQ ranking" built from it.
Here's the catch with the Wonderlic: it mixes speed and smarts, so you can't tell which one tripped you up. IQ Tester takes the clock away entirely. Twenty untimed questions, harder ones worth more, and your result split across number series, verbal analogy, logic and pattern, so you can see exactly where the points went. Find my weak spots
Does it predict who succeeds?
This is the big question, and the research says: not much.
A 2009 study by Brian Lyons and colleagues in the journal Human Performance looked at Wonderlic scores and later NFL performance and found they did a poor job of predicting how well players did on the field. For some positions, the link was basically zero.
What matters more on Sundays:
- Football-specific intelligence: reading coverages, knowing your assignment, adjusting fast.
- Work ethic and film study: hours in the facility.
- Physical tools: speed, size, durability.
- Composure: making the right read with 70,000 people screaming.
Smartest NFL players (by résumé)
If you want smart-and-proven examples, look at players with serious academic paths: John Urschel finished a math PhD at MIT after leaving the NFL, and Myron Rolle went from Rhodes Scholar to neurosurgery. Neither of those facts needed a Wonderlic score to show up.
Basketball and soccer have their own "sports IQ" debates, and they're interesting contrasts: the NBA never had a public test (average IQ of NBA players), while soccer researchers measured executive function instead (average IQ of a soccer player).
Get your own score without the stopwatch
The average IQ of NFL players will stay fuzzy, but your own reasoning doesn't have to. IQ Tester gives you 20 untimed questions on the usual IQ scale (mean 100, SD 15). Sign in with Google or Apple and your band plus three of your four category strengths are free, with the guides suggesting one short drill a day after.
FAQ
What is the average IQ of pro football players?
There's no official number. Based on widely cited Wonderlic averages by position and rough conversions, most NFL players seem to land somewhere near the middle of the IQ range, but this is an estimate built on a timed, imperfect test.
What is a good Wonderlic score?
Around 20 is often called average for the general population. In the NFL, mid-20s is solid and 30-plus is rare. A perfect 50 has been reported only a handful of times.
What is the lowest NFL IQ test score?
The most-cited low score is a reported 4 by Morris Claiborne in 2012. He was still drafted in the first round, which shows teams never treated the Wonderlic as a dealbreaker.
Can you convert a Wonderlic score to IQ?
You can get a ballpark using the common rule that 20 is roughly an IQ of 100. It's not precise, because the Wonderlic is heavily timed and normed differently from standard IQ tests.
Is there an NFL IQ test I can take online?
You can find Wonderlic-style practice tests online, but they're still speed-heavy. If you want to see how you reason without a timer, IQ Tester is untimed and shows your strengths by category.