Drew Rosenhaus elucidates a significant transformation for NFL Draft hopefuls.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk reported before the recent weekend that the Athletes First and Rosenhaus Sports agencies are advising NFL Draft prospects not to participate in cognitive tests related to the 2024 NFL Draft. Drew Rosenhaus, a well-known agent, explained the rationale behind this decision in a recent conversation with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Rosenhaus stated, “In just speaking with people around the league, I have a lot of respect for doing whatever we can to help our clients get drafted and get drafted as high as they can. But in this particular case, I think a lot of these tests actually work against our clients. I don’t want to point any fingers at anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings, the people that put these tests together, and I personally don’t want to speak for the teams, but I would like for our clients’ character and intelligence and football IQ to be measured in individual meetings and interviews.”

C.J. Stroud, a former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback, faced scrutiny last spring after reportedly posting a low score in the S2 Cognition Test ahead of the 2023 draft. Despite this, the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young as the first overall pick, and the Houston Texans chose Stroud at overall selection No. 2. Stroud went on to have a successful rookie season, finishing sixth in the NFL with a 100.8 passer rating and leading in average passing yards per game.

Rosenhaus also advised clients to skip the Wonderlic test during the upcoming scouting combine. He criticized NFL teams for conducting what he called “intrusive testing” and criticized the leaking of results to reporters. It remains to be seen how teams will respond if multiple players follow their agents’ advice and refuse certain tests.