Study Shows Correlation Between Offensive Lineman Performance and Athletic Intelligence

Conversion rates on a 3rd and 1 hover near 60-70%. When a pre snap penalty occurs on the O-line, the percentage plummets below 40% for the replayed down. AIQ’s latest peer-reviewed research paper dives deep into the intellectual and athletic performance of offensive linemen and is making waves in the world of football analytics.

As the NFL playoff race heats up and fans prepare for the 2025 draft in Green Bay, front-office staff are turning to data to stay ahead in a fast-evolving landscape.

Teams need actionable insights to identify hidden gems that could transform their franchise. Decision-makers are looking for tools that cut through the noise and deliver clear answers—especially when it comes to draft choices.

AIQ understands what’s at stake, providing needed insight with its latest peer-reviewed research paper, "The Relationships Between Reaction Time Scores and False Start Penalties of Offensive Linemen in the National Football League (NFL)."

This peer-reviewed research provides groundbreaking insights into a critical player group: offensive linemen. These athletes form the backbone of every offensive play, ensuring protection and creating opportunities for their teammates. Yet, their contributions and potential often fly under the radar. As AIQ co-founder Jim Bowman, Psy.D. and his fellow researchers explain in the paper, “While offensive linemen may be less well known to fans than other NFL players, they are critical to a team’s success, because they provide offensive players the necessary protection and time to execute winning plays.”

The research shows how reaction time scores directly relate to false start penalties, giving teams a clear game plan to spot linemen who thrive under pressure. Teams can use these insights to:

• Draft smarter by finding hidden talent with sharp mental skills.
• Help current players improve by tackling weaknesses before they impact performance.
• Stay ahead of the competition with data-driven strategies that elevate players and teams as a whole.

To address this, AIQ’s research takes a unique approach by correlating intelligence scores—specifically from the AIQ assessment—with performance metrics like false start penalties. The results reveal actionable strategies for reducing errors and optimizing O-line performance.

The offensive line is often the unsung hero of a team’s success. Size, speed, and strength are important—but there’s more to the story. That’s why AIQ digs deeper into the mental game.

Skills like reaction time, decision-making, and learning efficiency are what set great linemen apart. Those split-second decisions in the red zone? They can be the difference between a costly penalty that pushes the down and distance back or a play that changes the game.

AIQ leveraged decades of scientific study and its proprietary assessment tool, developed over 15 years and validated with data from 12,000+ elite athletes, including everyone from Olympians to NFL players. This tool evaluates intelligence across four critical areas:

• Visual-Spatial Processing
• Reaction Time
• Decision-Making
• Learning Efficiency

With a database encompassing over 93% of each year’s NFL Draft class, AIQ offers a statistically robust, peer-reviewed foundation for its insights.

AIQ is the only intelligence assessment scientifically proven to impact NFL performance. Its tools work alongside traditional evaluations to give teams a full picture of their players and prospects. According to AIQ co-founder Scott Goldman, Ph.D., it’s all about helping decision-makers build rosters that keep up with the fast-changing game. “AIQ is the only instrument scientifically proven to impact NFL performance,” Goldman says. “We provide more task-specific details designed for today’s NFL game than any other product available.”

The company has shared that a fifth peer-reviewed research article, focusing on quarterback performance, will be published and available soon.

Visit aiq.team to learn more about this transformative research and how it can help your team secure its next big win.

ABOUT AIQ

Since 2012, AIQ has been trusted by teams in every major league to provide the cognitive insight necessary to create winning teams. AIQ co-founders Scott Goldman, Ph.D. and Jim Bowman, Psy.D. have collaborated with major league teams for over 25 years. With strategies backed by research and peer-reviewed scientific evidence, AIQ is the first and only global company with a proprietary Athletic Intelligence Quotient assessment that translates real cognitive research into improved performance on and off the field. With AIQ, high-performance teams play more cohesively and win more frequently.

For more information, visit aiq.team.

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