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Drafting NFL Players: Brains Over Brawn? (Photo by Doug
Benc/Getty Images)  Prior to the 2006 NFL Draft, Texas
quarterback Vince Young—coming off a historic Rose Bowl
performance—caused a stir of controversy when he scored an
abysmal six out of 50 on his Wonderlic intelligence test.   Both
NFL evaluators and NFL media members saw this as a red flag,
questioning whether the Texas star would be able to grasp the
intricacies of NFL offenses at its most mentally demanding
position.   The concern over Young’s intelligence ultimately
proved irrelevant to NFL evaluators, for the quarterback was
drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2006 NFL
Draft.  Young was also named 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year. 
But the Young controversy raises the question: Does academic
performance have an impact on athletic performance?   This
article is a summary of a study that investigated how mu