Somehow, someway, former Louisiana State University cornerback Morris Clai-borne managed to score a four out of 50 on the Wonderlic Test.

Not only is this an embarrassment to him, it is an embarrassment to LSU as a whole – an institution that calls itself a university and a place of higher learning and education. The Wonderlic Test is a very basic exam as is, and if anything this makes me question the way “student-ath-letes” are treated – especially at big pro-grams. It really makes me wonder if a sep-arate degree should be created for athletes because of the necessary commitment to their respective collegiate sports.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand the time consumption and effort required to compete at the highest of levels, but come on. There are thousands of students who aren’t fortunate enough to have the talent to carry them to a degree let alone contracts worth millions of dollars later on. It is insanely unfair to provide athletes with a scholarship over students without extraordinary athletic talents, but that’s a different story.

On a personal level, the more potent question is if the score will affect Clai-borne’s draft stock. I think it should. I understand that he is not a quarterback or a middle linebacker, but there has to be a line that teams draw with something such as this. Running back Brandon Jacobs, now of the San Francisco 49ers, was not a quarterback either, and as a New York Giants fan some of the things he’d say at press conferences and the like would just make me cringe.

Regardless, I don’t think it will af-fect the draft too much at all. I still see Claiborne going to either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or their NFC South rival, the Carolina Panthers. His talent on the field together with his performances in the NFL Combine and pro days greatly outweigh this weakness, and apparently he did well in his interviews as well. If anything, I just think this will haunt him for a while as a rookie, with his future teammates making jokes and screwing with him, until he makes a game winning pick-six and earns respect.

Honestly, this is more funny than harmful. I don’t think people will re-member this score once he starts making plays. If he is unable to perform on the NFL stage, though, this score could fol-low him around for the rest of his career. Players with much better reputations have failed in their attempts at NFL greatness, or even mediocrity, so I would not be too surprised if Claiborne falls by the wayside instead.

For now, it’s better that we reserve judgment on Claiborne. After all, he will ultimately be analyzed for what he does on the field, not on a test. I’m sure many people have stopped caring already.

Contact Albert Raminfard at [email protected].