S2 Cognitive test points to NFL Success

[Ricky Spanish]

Good article about a newer cognitive test developed by some guys at Vanderbilt. Details how some of the best QBs in the NFL score above the 90th percentile in it and how Brock Purdy killed it, helping to explain why he did so well last season.

https://theathletic.com/4226466/2023/02/24/nfl-quarterbacks-s2-cognition-test/

excerpts below:

Quote

The S2 isn’t an intelligence test like the 50-question Wonderlic exam but rather measures how quickly and accurately athletes process information. It’s like the 40-yard dash for the brain.

Quote

The exam lasts 40 to 45 minutes. It’s performed on a specially designed gaming laptop and response pad that can record reactions in two milliseconds. To put that in perspective, an eye blink lasts 100 to 150 milliseconds.

Quote

He couldn’t give out Purdy’s exact score because it’s privileged information but said it was in the “mid 90s.” That’s about where Brees, the former Saints quarterback famous for lightning-fast decision-making, scored and where two of the top passers in the league now, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Bills’ Josh Allen, also landed. The Bengals’ Joe Burrow took the test while at LSU and agreed to allow S2 to disclose the information.

Of course he did — he scored in the 97th percentile.

“We consider anything above the 80th percentile to be elite,” Ally said.

Quote

The company recently looked at 27 starting quarterbacks. (Some of the older veterans like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers had entered the league before S2 began testing in 2015 and there are no scores for them; Brees took the test while already playing in the NFL.) Of that group, 13 had a career passer rating above 90. The average S2 score of those players was the 91st percentile. Those with passer ratings below 90 had much lower test results.

“Those 14 guys, the average score was in the low 60s,” Ally said.

Quote

Top-tier quarterbacks have the highest average scores, followed closely by safeties. That makes sense considering safeties are known as the “quarterback of the defense” and must keep an eye on multiple moving opponents.

“The average human being can keep track of about three and a half objects at a time,” Alley said. “The average safety in the NFL, it’s closer to six.”

The positions with the third-highest scores: linebacker and cornerback.

The traditional thinking about cornerback was that it was all about physical skills — being fast and mimicking the movements of a wide receiver. As it turns out, the ability to make rapid decisions and to control impulses are paramount. One of the S2 tests looks at impulse control. Ally said low scores predict substandard play as well as holding and pass-interference penalties.

“If you’re impulsive, you fall prey to that double move,” Ally said. “You make a step in the wrong direction. And second, they just can’t control that impulse to grab a jersey when (the receiver) gets by them. You saw that call in the Super Bowl? We could argue all day long whether that was (a penalty) or not. But you saw him start to get burned and he just couldn’t control that impulse to grab the jersey. That’s very typical of someone with low impulse control.”

And for those wondering about this year's QB class compared to last year's:

Quote

The question every general manager will be asking between now and the April draft is which quarterback is the next Brock Purdy, the passer everyone overlooks because he’s not physically imposing but whose brain can help salvage a season? Ally said he couldn’t divulge scores, but he did say the 2023 quarterback results were dramatically better than last year when only Purdy and one other quarterback scored above the 90th percentile.

“We’ve been doing the NFL draft for seven years,” Ally said. “From an S2 Cognitive perspective, last year was the worst year we’ve ever had score-wise. And this year is by far and away the best we’ve ever had, score-wise, at the quarterback position.”

He hinted that the quarterback whom many believe will be the first player drafted had an impressive score.

“I do have a feeling that a quarterback from Alabama that we have tested every year since he was in 10th grade may end up sharing his results publicly because he actually owns those results and the NFL does not,” Ally said.

 

[JawnyBlaze]

Interesting. 

[rayzor]

so THIS is the year we should be drafting a QB.

screw waiting. Go BSA (best score available).

[top dawg]

Now this is very interesting. I'd be more convinced if they would publish scores, allowing us to see actual correlations. But, just accepting their information, it sounds like this is something that deserves serious consideration.

[rayzor]

17 minutes ago, top dawg said:

Now this is very interesting. I'd be more convinced if they would publish scores, allowing us to see actual correlations. But, just accepting their information, it sounds like this is something that deserves serious consideration.

i can understand wanting to keep the scores secret, but as long as we know the rankings, especially compared to other years, i think it's something we really need to be paying attention to. 

 

and then combine this with whatever our new data guy, George Li has put together for the QB search and i think we should have all the info we need to give this coaching team so they can pick the best guy to carry this team into the future. 

[Mr. Scot]

7 minutes ago, rayzor said:

i can understand wanting to keep the scores secret, but as long as we know the rankings, especially compared to other years, i think it's something we really need to be paying attention to. 

Yeah, NFLPA would never go for that.

Even with the best of intentions, you know once the scores got out it'd be all over sports media that "Star Player X scored low on his cognitive test".

[Wundrbread33]

So is this a reaction time test to visual stimuli? 
 

If so, were the subjects tested multiple times on different days or just once?

You really need an average score over many testing sessions to gauge each subjects performance. 
 

However a test calculating speed while making the correct decision with multiple stimuli in play is a hell of a lot better and relevant than a wonderlic.

[Raskle]

15 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Yeah, NFLPA would never go for that.

Even with the best of intentions, you know once the scores got out it'd be all over sports media that "Star Player X scored low on his cognitive test".

How is that any different than the Wonderlic scores though?

Both would demonstrate a form of intelligence processing, granted on differing facets, which can be a measurable standard to help a team in their decision on drafting a player. Unless there's something in the paywall article that's vastly different to the comments I've read here?

Edited February 24, 2023 by Raskle

[thunderraiden]

yeah bryce young is going first and we are getting a QB from the draft this year. Those two statements are true, everything else I dunno

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, Raskle said:

How is that any different than the Wonderlic scores though?

Both would demonstrate a form of intelligence processing, granted on differing facets, which can be a measurable standard to help a team in their decision on drafting a player. Unless there's something in the paywall article that's vastly different to the comments I've read here?

There are people who think those scores shouldn't be made public either.

[SmokinwithWilly]

Sam Darnold heading into FA once his scores are released...

[CarolinaRideorDie]

I think there is truth and evidence behind this S2 test. QB requires a person to make smart, quick, and accurate decisions with limited info. I do believe this is what separates an avg QB from an elite QB. Zach Wilson, Darnold, Mayfield all have the physical talent to play QB but do they have mental fortitude to execute it? Watch Bryce Young's tape and he has it, that's why I'm not so worried about his size, he'll know how to get he ball out quick. 

[CarolinaRideorDie]

2 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

There are people who think those scores shouldn't be made public either.

I think it's ridiculous to keep these scores private. I hate standardized testing but what's the difference when colleges ask for SAT/ACT scores? Or med school/law school not accepting you because of low scores? It's all to judge your "intelligence." Fair or not fair, it's how the process works. 

 

[glenwo2]

2 hours ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

Sam Darnold heading into FA once his scores are released...

This was exactly my thought.   lol

Then again, maybe he scores well?

His problem wasn't knowledge...it was Processing SPEED.