The NFL draft test is important in helping officials to identify the skills players are coming with. Image source: nfl.
If you are seeking to gain entry into the NFL, you will be expected to pass through the draft test, which measures the ability of the player to display skills remarkably while in action.
The officials want to see what traits you have by setting the test for you.
Please, continue reading to learn more about the NFL draft test and how to be successful in it:
Some sort of scouting testing has been performed in the National Football League since 1979 leading to the primary official combine in 1982 where players and team scouts got together to see prospects put thru their paces.
The Wonderlic is a test that was created in 1930 and has been used over the years by the NFL to measure a player’s cognitive abilities in the areas of math, reasoning, and vocabulary.
The Wonderlic test comprises 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes.
It was Tom Landry who first started administering the Wonderlic as a coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1070s after the test was created in 1930 as mentioned earlier.
The NFL now regularly uses the Wonderlic test to assess the mental abilities of players invited to the scouting combine as one of their measurable methods.
It has been altered over the years, but the concept remains the same.
A score of 20 is the average intelligence level every player is required to reach.
The Wonderlic test has been so important to the NFL ever since the introduction of the test.
10 Reasons NFL Draft Test is Important
NFL draft test assesses a player’s non-physical abilities
The NFL draft test has always been an intelligence type test that is offered to combine attendees since the 1970s.
An extra new sixty-minute-long test was added to the testing program in 2013.
This new and widespread player assessment tool has been created to offer a much more forceful and all-inclusive assessment of a player’s non-physical abilities, strengths, and skills.
The test gauges a broad range of competencies, such as decision-making skills, learning styles, motivation, core intelligence, etc.
The results of the new test remain confidential.
NFL draft test assesses skills
This talks about position-specific drills which are necessary for every prospect. These are must-go-through football drills aimed at their specific-position.
Since the fitness test number is what everybody seems to care about, the results of the drills are rather neglected.
The one-on-one pass coverage is the one position-specific drill.
NFL draft test decides a player’s acceleration
A 40-yard dash is a speed test that can be administered over different distances, depending on the things being tested and the relevance to the sport.
It is part of the SPARQ rating system for football.
The aim of the test is to decide acceleration and a reliable indicator of speed, agility, and swiftness.
A 40-yard dash involves running a single maximum sprint over 40 yards with a stop-watch to record the time.
NFL draft measures heights, weight, arm length, and hand length
A draft prospect’s weigh-in is one of the most important moments in the whole pre-draft process for these NFL expectants, although this may seem ridiculous to a lot of people.
This measures each prospect’s heights, weight, arm length, and hand length.
The bod pod is what is used to measure the body fat percentage of linemen and running backs.
If prospects’ measurements are off from what was expected from scouts, or if their measurements do not meet up to expectation, then they may be disqualified from the draft.
NFL draft test measures muscle strength and stamina
When the muscle strength and stamina of players need to be measured, the bench press test is used.
In this test, athletes are asked to lift 225 pounds (102kg) as many times as possible in the presence of different kinds of people including coaches, scouts, media, and events to witness the assessment.
This seems to be the most popular event next to the 40-yard dash, as it assesses a player’s strength and stamina.
There are many people that came to cheer and encourage prospects as they motivate each other to keep going.
The player lays flat on his back on the bench and places his hands at shoulder width on the barbell, allowing the bar to come in contact with the chest and elbows totally straight at the top, while the hip lies on the bench.
The objective is to use a nearby spotter to press 225 pounds of weight as many times as possible.
NFL draft test evaluates a player’s fitness
In this test, participants run to 5 yards, 10 yards, and 15 yards; there and backward, for a total of 60 yards.
This 60-Yard Shuttle Test is an element of the fitness testing battery for the NFL Combine and also has been part of the US Army fitness testing.
Although the 60-Yard Shuttle Test is part of the NFL testing combine, athletes involved in many team sports like soccer, hockey, basketball, and rugby can use it.
The time required to complete the test in seconds is recorded, and the score is the best time of three.
NFL draft test measures the lower body strength
The vertical jump is an NFL draft test that is conducted by having the player jump from a stationary position and attempt to touch plastic flags at the top of a pole.
The test measures the explosion and lower body strength, and it’s most important for receivers and defensive backs.
In the vertical jump test, every player is offered double opportunities to jump.
The highest point achieved is counted as the measurement.
The test evaluates how quickly an athlete can explode off the line of scrimmage from a motionless position.
NFL draft test measures the ability to jump
Broad jump or standing long-jump is a test of lower body strength and explosion, and it’s similar to the vertical jump.
It is one of the fitness assessments in the NFL Combine, once an event at the Olympic Games and also an event in Sports Hall competitions in the UK and part of the jumps decathlon and power quadrathlon assessment.
The broad jump doesn’t measure how high you can jump, but how far.
The player jumps from a standing position forward off two feet as far as he can.
This test is most important for linebackers, linemen, and running backs.
NFL draft test evaluates the agility, quickness, and fluidity of movement of players
At the NFL Combine, there is a draft test called the 3-cone drill or the L-drill that is designed to measure a player’s speed, agility, change of direction, body control, etc.
The reason the test is called L-drill is that it uses the four cones in an L form and assesses how fast a player can change direction while accelerating.
It is most important for pass rushers, wide receivers, and running backs.
The 3-cone drill is an important measurement for collegiate recruiting and most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in preparation for the NFL draft.
In this NFL draft test, cones are placed five yards apart in the form of an ‘L.’
The player must run to the second cone, turn around run back to the first cone and touch it.
He then turns around again, running towards the second cone and passing it to reach the third cone.
The player sprints around the third cone, running past the outside of the second cone to the first cone.
This all must be done in the quickest time possible.
NFL draft test evaluates the players’ quickness and change-of-direction ability
The 20-yard shuttle, or the short shuttle, is a test performed by the American football athletes at the NFL combine.
The primary purpose of the 20-yard shuttle test is to assess the quickness and change-of-direction of players’ abilities. The test is typically for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting.
The 20-yard shuttle may not be as highly regarded as the 40-yard dash, but it’s still an important part of the NFL draft tests.
Conclusion
This post has shown the many reasons the NFL Draft test is important in picking prospective players.
The ideas shared on this page help you to see the need to prepare well for the NFL draft test to be able to answer the questions correctly and reach the estimated scores, so you can excel and join your desired team.
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