They are the biggest, strongest, and toughest players on the field, yet they get the least attention.  When watching a football game, fans hardly ever look at the offensive line.  Instead, their minds are focused on the running backs, receivers and quarterbacks, who get most of the accolades, while everyone on defense shares the responsibility of making a tackle and stopping the opposition.

According to The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football by Paul Zimmerman, offensive tackles and centers rank the highest in the National Football League’s intelligence test with respective scores of 26 and 25 out of 50.  The NFL uses the Wonderlic Test on prospects coming into the league in hopes that it will give the coach’s an idea about the player’s cognitive abilities.  Typically, it is the linemen who are the smartest, most adaptable and solution oriented when it comes to game time.  Five upperclassmen anchor the Palo Alto High School offensive line in its 3-0 season.