However, the co-creator of the S2 test claims that some of the results are inaccurate.
One of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft, C.J. Stroud is expected to go as high as the first overall pick. In a quarterback class with four quarterbacks who may realistically finish in the top five this year, the Ohio State quarterback seems to hear his name shouted in the top five.
Based on the reports that have surfaced about him regarding the Manning Passing Academy and his performance on the S2 cognitive test, Stroud may be the quarterback prospect who gets scrutinized the most. The S2 ratings of the draft’s quarterback prospects were made public, according to The Athletic.
Bryce Young received the highest score, a 98, while Stroud received the lowest (18% out of 100%).
What’s the S2 Cognition test’s procedure? The Wonderlic was replaced by an exam that contains nine distinct sections, each of which is graded independently (kind of like the SAT). The metrics utilized in each part take into account a quarterback’s capacity for multi-object tracking, complicated decision-making, filtering through if/then scenarios with various defensive scenarios, and improvisation. The 45-minute exam is conducted on a gaming laptop and gauges a player’s capacity to analyze information displayed on the screen in front of them swiftly.
The Wonderlic test, which assesses general cognitive aptitude in three domains—math, vocabulary, and reasoning—uses a different methodology. The maximum score on the S2 test is a 50, and there are 50 multiple-choice questions that must be finished in 12 minutes.
The top quarterbacks’ S2 Cognition scores are listed below:
| QUARTERBACK | SCHOOL | SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Bryce Young | Alabama | 98% |
| Jake Haener | Fresno State | 96% |
| Will Levis | Kentucky | 93% |
| Jaren Hall | BYU | 93% |
| Clayton Tune | Houston | 84% |
| Anthony Richardson | Florida | 79% |
| Hendon Hooker | Tennessee | 46% |
| C.J. Stroud | Ohio State | 18% |
The co-creator of the S2 Cognition test, Brandon Ally, claims that some of the results are inaccurate.
In an interview with Pat McAfee last week, Ally claimed, “The day those leaks happened, my phone was blowing up from general managers and our attorney.” “We are unable to provide specifics. What I will say is that, of the list of scores I have seen, two of them are unreliable. They are completely inaccurate.
“A portion of the motivation might be for narrative purposes. They lack context, thus someone could have obtained a list of extremely early scores, which is the other reason. I am aware of one particular athlete on that list who had a challenging time getting to the all-star game because of delays. He was highly sought after. It was 11 p.m., he was weary and hungry, and he didn’t want to do it. He was annoyed. We carried out the test because we were required to.
“Hey, we’re going to get you again, we knew at that point. We’ll meet you at your 30 visit or Pro Day. His score is substantially higher than what was stated in the media as a result of what we did. I don’t claim it was C.J. Stroud. However, there are a few of the scores that were leaked that are erroneous, and there needs to be context for those.
Do these results ultimately have much significance? The final pick in the 2022 draft, Brock Purdy, received a test score in the mid-90s. The S2 test results for Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes were likewise believed to be in the mid-90s.
While Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie, Mahomes is the first quarterback to win two Super Bowls and two MVP awards before the age of 30. The only player to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 750 yards in the same season more than once (and do so in back-to-back seasons), Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
The S2 Cognition test will continue to be used, but in order for the league to determine whether it actually shows how to choose a great quarterback, a larger sample size will be required. Early results are very encouraging.
