Joe Burrow scored a 34 on Wonderlic

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Can I get a screenshot

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1. JOE BURROW, LSU (6-3 ½, 229, no 40, 1): After three seasons backing up J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State, he transferred to LSU and posted a 90.6 NFL passer rating in 2018. Last year, buoyed by the installation of the Saints’ offense by new coordinator Joe Brady, he posted an otherworldly rating of 143.7. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this before,” one scout with 30-plus years in the business said. “He totally dominated college football. He was fascinating to watch. He just reminded me of Peyton Manning. The way that nothing seemed to concern him. When he had to yell at people, he yelled. When he didn’t, he was calm.” He joined Davey O’Brien, Johnny Lujack, Matt Leinart, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston as Heisman Trophy winners who also won the national championship with undefeated teams. “He has a good enough arm and he runs pretty good,” said another scout. “But he has elite, magical ability to process quickly, and his accuracy is unbelievable. Those are the two most important things. Great kid, he’s a leader, tough as shite. He’s a coach’s kid and he’ll play a long time. He doesn’t have near the arm talent of Matthew Stafford, but I bet he wins more.” He received a late-round grade a year ago from National Football Scouting. “Never had a guy in the summer I felt he was a backup and in November I said this guy might be the best player in the draft,” said a third scout. “I’ve never seen a guy play at such an efficient level. If people had truth serum poured down their throat, they waited all year for him to fall off the wagon. ‘This can’t be real.’ But he didn’t have a bad quarter all season. And you’re talking about Auburn, Bama, SEC defenses. There’s some reasonable doubt that he’s not going to be as good in the NFL. I don’t know how you can bottle what they put together at LSU this year, but there was magic to it. He was phenomenal.” Tommy Moffitt, the LSU strength coach for 20 years, held the same job at Tennessee when Manning played there. “He told the scouts that he puts them in the same breath,” one personnel man said. Second smallest hands (9 inches) among the top 12 quarterbacks. Scored 34 on the Wonderlic intelligence test. “No, no, no, no, no,” said a fourth scout when asked if Burrow could be compared to Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins. “This guy’s big-time. Incredible timing and accuracy, incredible pocket poise. He’s amazing off-schedule. He plays with swagger. He doesn’t have a cannon, but he throws a nice deep ball.” From Athens, Ohio. “Can he do it at the next level? Does he have a strong enough arm?” said a fifth scout. “I don’t see it. I wouldn’t want him (as a high pick). He’s a great kid, he really is. I just don’t see him as the guy. His junior year he was the shits. Then they bring in the new offense, everything changed and he’s got all those great receivers around him, too. Nine-inch hands. Soft body build.”

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2. TUA TAGOVAILOA, Alabama (6-0, 217, no 40, 1): A quarterbacking prodigy as far back as fourth and fifth grade, Tua “came to Bama so advanced for an 18-year-old kid as far as seeing things and anticipating,” said one scout. “But, like so many kids, that’s it. Despite the fact that his stats are phenomenal, he was in the candy store of life. I think his best days are behind him.” He put up a stunning NFL passer rating of 143.2 in 2019, and 138.1 overall during a three-year career. “Just off the pure talent to play the game, he’s better than Joe Burrow,” said another scout. “He doesn’t have an overpowering arm, but he makes all the throws. He’s got a quick release. He’s got touch, velocity. He’s got the feet to avoid. He’s got really good eyes. Cool under pressure. Slides through the pocket. Really good play-action guy. He doesn’t throw interceptions.” His injury list is almost as long as any player’s in the draft. He has 10-inch hands. “He’s nowhere close to Russell Wilson as far as escaping pressure and making plays on the move,” said a third scout. “He’s not Drew Brees. He shies away a lot in the pocket when people get at him. I just never saw this phenomenal, once-in-a-generation talent.” Some teams are more concerned than others about his 13 on the Wonderlic, the lowest score at the position. “We interviewed him,” said one scout. “He’s smart enough, but he’s an RPO guy. (Steve) Sarkisian (Alabama’s new coordinator in 2019) tried to do pro stuff and he (Tagovailoa) couldn’t handle it mentally because all he’d ever done was RPO stuff. So they went back to RPO.” From Ewa Beach, Hawaii. “He’s kind of been the anointed guy, but I like him less the more I watch him,” another scout said. “He plays a lot of pitch-and-catch in that offense. He’s really accurate hitting those slants. A lot of the quick game stuff he’s excellent. But when there’s chaos in the pocket there’s a dropoff in his effectiveness. Is there ever a tight-window throw on his highlights?”

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Joe Burrow scored a 34 on Wonderlic

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“Can he do it at the next level? Does he have a strong enough arm?” said a fifth scout. “I don’t see it. I wouldn’t want him (as a high pick). He’s a great kid, he really is. I just don’t see him as the guy. His junior year he was the shits. Then they bring in the new offense, everything changed and he’s got all those great receivers around him, too. Nine-inch hands. Soft body build.”

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The test is only relevant when our guys do well and guys on other teams do poorly. Otherwise it’s meaningless.

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