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Brawn plus brains: 11 smartest players in the NFL

Amber Matsumoto
  • <p>It’s no secret that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is an intellectual person. The Stanford grad majored in environmental engineering and managed to graduate with a 3.48 GPA. Luck also started his own book club this year. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    It’s no secret that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is an intellectual person. The Stanford grad majored in environmental engineering and managed to graduate with a 3.48 GPA. Luck also started his own book club this year.

  • <p>Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was a superstar in both athletics and academics in high school. The Legion Of Boom member graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA and went on to attend Stanford University. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was a superstar in both athletics and academics in high school. The Legion Of Boom member graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA and went on to attend Stanford University.

  • <p>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith earned his degree in economics at the University of Utah in only two years with a 3.74 GPA. He began work on a master’s degree in economics during his junior season, before declaring early for the NFL draft. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith earned his degree in economics at the University of Utah in only two years with a 3.74 GPA. He began work on a master’s degree in economics during his junior season, before declaring early for the NFL draft.

  • <p>NFL rookie Carson Wentz majored in health education while at North Dakota State. The Eagles quarterback managed a 4.0 GPA during his time in college. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    NFL rookie Carson Wentz majored in health education while at North Dakota State. The Eagles quarterback managed a 4.0 GPA during his time in college.

  • <p>Ryan Fitzpatrick attended Harvard University, where the Jets quarterback studied economics. When Fitzpatrick took his SAT exams, he was only 20 points shy of a perfect score. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Ryan Fitzpatrick attended Harvard University, where the Jets quarterback studied economics. When Fitzpatrick took his SAT exams, he was only 20 points shy of a perfect score.

  • <p>Injury-prone NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was a whiz in high school. RG3 graduated a semester early and began classes at Baylor when he was only 17 years old. The Cleveland Browns player made the dean’s list twice during his time at Baylor and earned his political science degree in only three years. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Injury-prone NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was a whiz in high school. RG3 graduated a semester early and began classes at Baylor when he was only 17 years old. The Cleveland Browns player made the dean’s list twice during his time at Baylor and earned his political science degree in only three years.

  • <p>Baltimore Ravens player John Urschel earned his mathematics degree from Penn State in only three years. The offensive lineman is now working on his PhD at MIT. He is studying spectral graph theory, numerical linear algebra and machine learning. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Baltimore Ravens player John Urschel earned his mathematics degree from Penn State in only three years. The offensive lineman is now working on his PhD at MIT. He is studying spectral graph theory, numerical linear algebra and machine learning.

  • <p>Buffalo Bills practice squad member Gabe Ikard graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a 4.0 GPA in multidisciplinary studies with a focus on medical sciences. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Buffalo Bills practice squad member Gabe Ikard graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a 4.0 GPA in multidisciplinary studies with a focus on medical sciences.

  • <p>Sam Acho graduated from the University of Texas with a 3.67 GPA. The Chicago Bears linebacker was named top scholar-athlete by the university during his senior year. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Sam Acho graduated from the University of Texas with a 3.67 GPA. The Chicago Bears linebacker was named top scholar-athlete by the university during his senior year.

  • <p>Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson played football at Duke University prior to transferring to the University of Georgia, where he majored in finance. Watson scored a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, about 28 points higher than the average NFL player. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson played football at Duke University prior to transferring to the University of Georgia, where he majored in finance. Watson scored a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, about 28 points higher than the average NFL player.

  • <p>Detroit Lions player Zach Zenner didn’t take the easy route when selecting a major at South Dakota State. The running back was a pre-med student and graduated with a 3.87 GPA. </p>
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    Smarty pants

    Detroit Lions player Zach Zenner didn’t take the easy route when selecting a major at South Dakota State. The running back was a pre-med student and graduated with a 3.87 GPA.

<p>It’s no secret that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is an intellectual person. The Stanford grad majored in environmental engineering and managed to graduate with a 3.48 GPA. Luck also started his own book club this year. </p>
<p>Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was a superstar in both athletics and academics in high school. The Legion Of Boom member graduated high school with a 4.2 GPA and went on to attend Stanford University. </p>
<p>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith earned his degree in economics at the University of Utah in only two years with a 3.74 GPA. He began work on a master’s degree in economics during his junior season, before declaring early for the NFL draft. </p>
<p>NFL rookie Carson Wentz majored in health education while at North Dakota State. The Eagles quarterback managed a 4.0 GPA during his time in college. </p>
<p>Ryan Fitzpatrick attended Harvard University, where the Jets quarterback studied economics. When Fitzpatrick took his SAT exams, he was only 20 points shy of a perfect score. </p>
<p>Injury-prone NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was a whiz in high school. RG3 graduated a semester early and began classes at Baylor when he was only 17 years old. The Cleveland Browns player made the dean’s list twice during his time at Baylor and earned his political science degree in only three years. </p>
<p>Baltimore Ravens player John Urschel earned his mathematics degree from Penn State in only three years. The offensive lineman is now working on his PhD at MIT. He is studying spectral graph theory, numerical linear algebra and machine learning. </p>
<p>Buffalo Bills practice squad member Gabe Ikard graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a 4.0 GPA in multidisciplinary studies with a focus on medical sciences. </p>
<p>Sam Acho graduated from the University of Texas with a 3.67 GPA. The Chicago Bears linebacker was named top scholar-athlete by the university during his senior year. </p>
<p>Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson played football at Duke University prior to transferring to the University of Georgia, where he majored in finance. Watson scored a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, about 28 points higher than the average NFL player. </p>
<p>Detroit Lions player Zach Zenner didn’t take the easy route when selecting a major at South Dakota State. The running back was a pre-med student and graduated with a 3.87 GPA. </p>

With it being back-to-school season, we thought that we’d do some research on the NFL players who were superstars in the classroom. Check out our list of the smartest players in the NFL right now.