Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber doesn't give much weight to how NFL prospects score on the Wonderlic test.
"I don't think it's a factor," Barber said Wednesday when asked about prospects who do poorly on the exam administered to players at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I don't think it really translates into the football IQ. ... I wouldn't pay much attention to it."
Reuter: Draft strengths/weaknesses
Chad Reuter says the 2012 NFL Draft is deep at several positions, like CB, but other groups leave a lot to be desired. **More ...**
Barber, who recently agreed to play one more season with the Bucs, was asked about the topic amid multiple reports that top cornerback prospect Morris Claiborne had a low score. The Bucs could select Claiborne with the fifth overall pick in April's draft.
Barber, a 15-year veteran who has 913 career tackles and 43 interceptions, suggested that his own score had little bearing on his football career.
"I have no idea how I did on mine ..." he said.
Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta had a similar take on the subject, objecting to the idea that the results would be discussed in public.
"First of all, the test is supposed to be confidential," DeCosta said when asked about low Wonderlic scores at a separate news conference Wednesday. "We do look at it. Obviously, the body of work ... the tape, how the guy plays is the most important thing."
DeCosta said that while a low test score might raise concerns in some situations, it is just one piece of a much larger puzzle when it comes to determining a player's future success.
"We don't base our decision on the Wonderlic just like we don't base our decisions on the 40-yard dash or the vertical jump," DeCosta said.
