Michigan State University Athletics
Jayden Reed hauls in a pass during on-field workouts at MSU's Pro Day on Wednesday.
Spartans Welcome NFL to East Lansing for Annual Pro Day
3/15/2023 5:55:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State football program welcomed NFL coaches, scouts and personnel to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building on Wednesday as the Spartans hosted their annual Pro Day.
Twelve players from the 2022 team participated in Pro Day: punter Bryce Baringer, tight end Daniel Barker, safety Kendell Brooks, running back Jarek Broussard, offensive guard Matt Carrick, safety Xavier Henderson, offensive tackle Jarrett Horst, tight end Tyler Hunt, wide receiver Jayden Reed, defensive tackle Jacob Slade, linebacker Ben VanSumeren and cornerback Ronald Williams.
VanSumeren shined on Wednesday, displaying impressive numbers that would have ranked among the best at the NFL Combine. He opened the morning with a 42.5-inch vertical jump and a leap of 10'11" in the broad jump, which would have both ranked No. 1 for linebackers at the combine. He then put up 29 reps on the bench press of 225 pounds and ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash; those numbers would have tied for first and ranked second in his position group at the combine, respectively.
"I feel like I had a pretty good day," said VanSumeren, who also had a chance to showcase his skills in front of NFL scouts at the East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas. "I'm happy with how things went in the tests and the drill work.
"The last two years have been the best two years of my life (after transferring to Michigan State). I figured that it would end up working out for me. Just stay resilient, stay consistent, and I knew that eventually my talent would shine through. I'm so grateful that I came here. I'm grateful that my brother is here as well (Alex) that I'm around this program still. It's all been really a great time."
Reed, who kept his testing numbers from the NFL Combine – including a 4.45-second 40-yard dash – did take part in the on-field drills on Wednesday.
"It was just good being home," said Reed. "It felt great out there, just getting out here with my guys and everything.
"Especially with the whole process, I went to the Senior Bowl, I went to the combine, so I came here and obviously I'm home, I'm even more comfortable."
Reed's stock has been rising in the pre-draft selection process after he had a great showing at the Senior Bowl in February and was named the National team's wide receiver practice player of the week.
"Wherever I go, I'm going out there and competing," said Reed, who earned first-team All-America honors in 2021 as an all-purpose player. "I was put in different positions at the Senior Bowl, they had me in the slot a lot. That's where all of the scouts wanted to see me. I just went with what the scouts told me, was coachable, and executed, so it worked out in my favor."
Baringer, the 2022 Big Ten Punter of the Year, also performed at the NFL Combine and was named the National team's specialist practice player of the week at the Senior Bowl. Although he didn't test on Wednesday, Baringer still had a chance to visit with scouts from around the NFL.
"It's always nice when you get those big invites, having the chance to go down to Mobile and be with some of the top seniors, and same thing with the combine, getting to be around top-five picks, it's pretty cool to be in that environment," remarked Baringer.
"With my workout at the combine, and with my performance at the Senior Bowl, I felt good going into private workouts (for the rest of the pre-draft process). I've already met a handful of the scouts that were out here (today) at the Senior Bowl and even at the combine, so just to see some familiar faces was really nice."
Slade, who played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January, had a vertical jump of 31 inches, which would have ranked third among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine. He also put up 24 reps on the bench press.
Henderson posted the second-highest vertical jump of the day at 36 inches, followed by Brooks at 35.5 inches. Carrick ranked second on the bench press with 28 reps, while Hunt had 26 reps, which would have been first among tight ends at the NFL Combine. Brooks also ran a 40-yard dash of 4.4 seconds, which would have been second among safeties at the combine.
Several former Spartans attended the event, including All-American cornerback and 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner Darqueze Dennard, All-American safety Kurtis Drummond, All-American running back Javon Ringer and Super Bowl Champion Bennie Fowler.
The 2023 NFL Draft is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Twelve players from the 2022 team participated in Pro Day: punter Bryce Baringer, tight end Daniel Barker, safety Kendell Brooks, running back Jarek Broussard, offensive guard Matt Carrick, safety Xavier Henderson, offensive tackle Jarrett Horst, tight end Tyler Hunt, wide receiver Jayden Reed, defensive tackle Jacob Slade, linebacker Ben VanSumeren and cornerback Ronald Williams.
VanSumeren shined on Wednesday, displaying impressive numbers that would have ranked among the best at the NFL Combine. He opened the morning with a 42.5-inch vertical jump and a leap of 10'11" in the broad jump, which would have both ranked No. 1 for linebackers at the combine. He then put up 29 reps on the bench press of 225 pounds and ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash; those numbers would have tied for first and ranked second in his position group at the combine, respectively.
Statement made. @benvansumeren would have put on a show at the NFL Combine 👀📈 pic.twitter.com/CyXqdXP13b
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) March 15, 2023
"I feel like I had a pretty good day," said VanSumeren, who also had a chance to showcase his skills in front of NFL scouts at the East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas. "I'm happy with how things went in the tests and the drill work.
"The last two years have been the best two years of my life (after transferring to Michigan State). I figured that it would end up working out for me. Just stay resilient, stay consistent, and I knew that eventually my talent would shine through. I'm so grateful that I came here. I'm grateful that my brother is here as well (Alex) that I'm around this program still. It's all been really a great time."
Reed, who kept his testing numbers from the NFL Combine – including a 4.45-second 40-yard dash – did take part in the on-field drills on Wednesday.
"It was just good being home," said Reed. "It felt great out there, just getting out here with my guys and everything.
"Especially with the whole process, I went to the Senior Bowl, I went to the combine, so I came here and obviously I'm home, I'm even more comfortable."
All eyes on our guys 📈
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) March 15, 2023
Representatives from all 32 @NFL teams were in the building for Pro Day today. @NFLDraft x #SD4L pic.twitter.com/FPwyORd6OD
Reed's stock has been rising in the pre-draft selection process after he had a great showing at the Senior Bowl in February and was named the National team's wide receiver practice player of the week.
"Wherever I go, I'm going out there and competing," said Reed, who earned first-team All-America honors in 2021 as an all-purpose player. "I was put in different positions at the Senior Bowl, they had me in the slot a lot. That's where all of the scouts wanted to see me. I just went with what the scouts told me, was coachable, and executed, so it worked out in my favor."
Baringer, the 2022 Big Ten Punter of the Year, also performed at the NFL Combine and was named the National team's specialist practice player of the week at the Senior Bowl. Although he didn't test on Wednesday, Baringer still had a chance to visit with scouts from around the NFL.
"It's always nice when you get those big invites, having the chance to go down to Mobile and be with some of the top seniors, and same thing with the combine, getting to be around top-five picks, it's pretty cool to be in that environment," remarked Baringer.
"With my workout at the combine, and with my performance at the Senior Bowl, I felt good going into private workouts (for the rest of the pre-draft process). I've already met a handful of the scouts that were out here (today) at the Senior Bowl and even at the combine, so just to see some familiar faces was really nice."
Slade, who played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January, had a vertical jump of 31 inches, which would have ranked third among defensive tackles at the NFL Combine. He also put up 24 reps on the bench press.
Henderson posted the second-highest vertical jump of the day at 36 inches, followed by Brooks at 35.5 inches. Carrick ranked second on the bench press with 28 reps, while Hunt had 26 reps, which would have been first among tight ends at the NFL Combine. Brooks also ran a 40-yard dash of 4.4 seconds, which would have been second among safeties at the combine.
⚡️⚡️⚡️ @4thQtrKB pic.twitter.com/QYBXffiswx
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) March 15, 2023
Several former Spartans attended the event, including All-American cornerback and 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winner Darqueze Dennard, All-American safety Kurtis Drummond, All-American running back Javon Ringer and Super Bowl Champion Bennie Fowler.
The 2023 NFL Draft is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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