Ben VanSumeren, Jayden Reed and others impress at Michigan State's pro day

On Wednesday, 12 former Michigan State football players performed in front of many NFL and CFL scouts in MSU's annual 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.

The former Spartans completed drills such as the vertical jump, broad jump, bench press, 40-yard dash, short shuttle and the three-cone drill, as well as positional drills. After the players competed in the pro day, a few were available to speak to the media about their performance and NFL hopes.

Below is what those players had to say.

The consensus standout on Wednesday was linebacker Ben VanSumeren.

“I think I had a pretty good day,” VanSumeren said. “I'm happy with how things went.”

That was an understatement.

VanSumeren, who trained in Florida leading up to the pro day, impressed in just about every drill he took part in. He recordred a 42.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11-inch broad jump, ran 4.40-second 40-yard dash, and got 29 reps on the bench press. One scout described VanSumeren as a "physical freak."

“Yeah, I did (think I would test as well as I did),” VanSumeren said. “I had a pretty good idea (of what I would do) toward the end of my training in Florida. We got some of our (training) times and (I thought) that I was gonna have a pretty good day.”

VanSumeren began his draft process in the Shrine Bowl, impressing during the week of practices there and recording the most tackles in the Shrine Bowl game.

While MSU's released numbers said 4.40, VanSumeren told the media that scouts told him that he ran the 40-yard dash anywhere from 4.36 seconds to 4.40 seconds. He was asked about his testing numbers on Wednesday and here’s what he had to say:

“I don’t even like hearing the 4.4, I want to lock in that 4.3, that’s just the way I think about it."

VanSumeren set high expectations for himself, which propelled him into being a star on Wednesday afternoon.

Reed, and VanSumeren's other teammates were not at all surprised by the linebacker's performance.

“I knew Ben was going to crush every drill,” Reed said about VanSumeren. “Ben’s a freak.”

VanSumeren, who transferred from Michigan ahead of the 2021 season and entered the transfer portal ahead of the 2022 season before ultimately deciding to remain with the Spartans, is grateful for his time at MSU. His younger brother, Alex VanSumeren, currently plays for MSU.

“The last two years (at Michigan State) have been the best two years of my life,” VanSumeren said. “I figured that it would end up working out for me. I stayed resilient, stayed consistent, and I knew that eventually that my talent would shine through. So, I'm so grateful that I came here. I'm grateful to have my little brother here as well, around this program still, so it's all been really a great time.”

The former Spartan star has already impressed throughout his pre-draft process, starting at the Senior Bowl when he was named the top wide receiver per the cornerbacks during the practice week, and then at the NFL Combine. It is safe to say Reed has made himself a good amount of money this offseason and he continued that strong performance on Wednesday.

“It was just good being back home, really,” Reed said about MSU’s pro day. “Getting around the guys and stuff like that. I waited to bench (press). I actually told the scouts and everything (that’s why I didn’t do it at the NFL Combine). I waited (until the pro day) to bench just to get around the guys, so they can maybe give me an extra rep or something like that.”

While Reed did compete in the bench press and positional drills at Michigan State’s pro day, he sat on most of his numbers from the NFL Combine. Reed had a solid combine performance with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, 4.29-second 20-yard shuttle, 33.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1-inch broad jump.

Reed put together those numbers at the combine while battling through a severe eye infection that affected his vision. On the Monday of the week of the combine, Reed's eye started to feel itchy. On Tuesday, Reed said it started to get “puffy.” Then it got worse on Thursday and Friday to the point where he couldn’t see out of his left eye. By the time he was scheduled to test on Saturday, it was still really bothering him.

While it was painful and uncomfortable, Reed, who describes himself as “tough as nails,” refused to let it ruin his childhood dream of competing in the combine and working toward his goal of making the NFL.

“It was obviously unfortunate, like the worst time it could happen, it happened,” Reed said about his eye. “But obviously I couldn't miss out on that. I've been dreaming about that for too long to miss out for an eye patch. I had to go. I would've put an eye patch on before I missed that. So, it was just fun to go out there and compete. Any childhood dream, you can't miss out on.”

On Wednesday, the smooth wide receiver looked like his normal self with his precise cuts, game changing speed and outstanding hands. Those outstanding hands were a hot topic at Reed's post-pro day press conference. Reed was asked about his favorite catch as a Spartan and he said, "Gotta be the snow game (Penn State 2021). Snow catch. That was tough, I could barely see the ball, but I caught it."

Reed has spoken to every NFL team, and his draft stock has continued to rise throughout the offseason. NFL franchises like his versatility and ability to play all over the field.

“I’ve interviewed with all 32 (NFL) teams, so I've gotten a lot of feedback,” Reed said, “Really just that I'm a versatile player. I could play punt return, kick return, outside, inside, gunner – anything you could name. That's what a lot of teams like about me, that I add value in many different places.”

Reed could be selected as early as Day Two (second and third rounds) on April 28, which would mean a lot to him since that is his birthday.

“I feel like my name's gonna be called whenever it should be called,” Reed said about the draft. “That's kind of the stuff that I can't control. So I'm really just really happy and blessed to be a part of it. My birthday is on Day Two (April 28), so hopefully we can get somewhere in the second or third round or something like that. No doubt. Anywhere my name gets called, I'm gonna be excited and I'm gonna be grateful … That would be the best birthday present I ever had in my life.”

Reed, who transferred to Michigan State from Western Michigan and was forced to sit out the 2019 season, has been through a lot of ups and downs in his life. He won't forget how he got here, but he is always looking to move forward.

“I've always had to prove myself,” Reed said. “I was a three-star recruit. I had four offers coming out of high school. It’s just nothing new for me, really. I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder. My dad passed away in 2015, not being able to see him, see my mom work three jobs. There’s always been a chip on my shoulder. I'll never forget what I've been through in my past. That's always carried on to everything I do, and I always give a hundred percent of whatever I do. So, that's how I got to this point today.”

From Division II athlete at North Greenville in South Carolina to potential NFL player, safety Kendell Brooks has answered the bell with every chance that he has received. Brooks did not receive much action in his first season with the Spartan defense in 2021, but when injuries occurred in the 2022 season, Brooks' named was called and he stepped up, leaving his mark as one of the most impactful players on the whole Michigan State squad during the 2022 season.

Brooks kept that strong performance up on Wednesday at the Michigan State pro day, doing well in the bench press with 19 reps, running a 4.44-second 40-yard dash and testing well elsewhere.

“I’d say I had a great day,” Brooks said with a smile. “Great day at the office.”

Brooks was asked after his pro day performance if he felt that maybe he was an underdog when it comes to the NFL Draft.

“I didn't really feel like I was the underdog," Brooks said. "I mean, I just felt like I had to show what I could do because you can't fault people for the things they don’t know. So, I came out, ran well, tested well, had a good day overall.”

Brooks, who said that the NFL was always the "end goal," has been in contact with several NFL teams.

“I talked with the (Miami) Dolphins, the (las Vegas) Raiders, the (Washington) Commanders and the (Detroit) Lions,” Brooks said. “They were just all saying how much they like my film and how much they enjoyed watching me play last season, and (the scouts) obviously came out (today). They wanted to see me test well, so I did that, and so they said they'll be in touch, so we'll see where it goes.”

The defensive lineman prospect, Jacob Slade, had a strong showing on Wednesday completing 24 reps on the bench press and overall answering any questions about his health. Slade missed four games in his senior campaign after an injury he suffered Week Two against Akron.

Slade was a preseason second-team Walter Camp All-American, but unfortunately did not receive a full season's worth of games in 2022 to fully prove himself like his 2021 campaign. Slade earned first team All-Big Ten honors via Pro Football Focus for his dominant season in 2021.

Slade was asked about the injury and the 2022 season after the pro day and he had this to say:

"I had some things that I wanted to show this year that I couldn't exactly do, so I was excited to get to show that a little bit in the NFLPA game."

Interestingly, Slade was actually drafted already – to the USFL. The Pittsburgh Maulers selected Slade with the 65th overall pick. However, his focus is still on the NFL.

“Yeah, that caught me off guard a little bit because I was getting ready for the NFL Draft and I got a call the day before the USFL Draft saying, ‘Hey, we wanna take you tomorrow,’” Slade said. “I said, ‘Whoa.’ I think if I ever decide to go to that league, then that team (Pittsburgh) would have the rights to me. It's what I've been told. The goal is still the NFL.”

While Slade mentioned some of the drills at the pro day “caught him off guard” because there were a couple of variations from his training, he was happy with his performance overall.

“I thought I did pretty well (at the pro day),” Slade said. “I was pretty happy with my measurables and the stuff I did today. The drills went pretty solid, too.”

Slade is just looking for an opportunity in the NFL, whether that be on defense or special teams.

“I mean, any way I can make the field at the next level, I will be there,” Slade said. “So, if special teams is that way (for me to get on the field in the NFL), I'm fine with that.”

Slade was thankful for the way that Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker runs the Michigan State program and its practices, which is in more of a professional approach. Slade feels like this experience will help him be prepared for the next level.

“I think it definitely prepared me for the NFLPA game and all of those next level practices,” Slade said. “The (Michigan State) practices I think were just very similar in speed and tempo (to the NFLPA game practices) and all the things like that. And that was one thing that Coach Tucker brought that really helped me.”

One of the most, if not the most, productive Spartans during the 2022 season was punter Bryce Baringer.

Baringer set the Michigan State school record with an average of 49 yards per punt in the 2022 season. He also holds the school record for career average with 46 yards per punt. Baringer received a lot of hardware after the 2022 season, earning first-team All-America, Big Ten Punter of the Year and earned an NFL Combine invite.

Baringer, who was a Ray Guy Award finalist, left no doubt at the combine, cementing himself as a Spartan legend and also putting himself in good position to earn an NFL roster spot for years to come.

Baringer did not compete in drills on Wednesday, but he was there to support his teammates. Baringer was asked about receiving an invite to the NFL Combine and had this to say:

"Getting to be with top five picks, guys like Bryce (Young) and C.J. (Stroud), all those guys being around them, you know just seeing all the buzz is pretty cool, just to be in that environment."

Still, Baringer has to earn a spot only available to only 32 players in the world. Making it as a punter in the NFL is no easy task.

"That's the hardest part is getting in (to the NFL)," Baringer said. "You've got to be one of the 32 best at your job in the whole world, and there's plenty of other guys around that are trying to get into that spot. So (it's) just being persistent in your work, finding your routines, sticking to those routines. Just being consistent is probably my biggest takeaway from that."

Tight end Daniel Barker also competed on Wednesday's pro day, although his day ended a bit early as he had an issue come up with his quad while running the 40-yard dash.

"It was a blessed experience to be a part of, one of many," Barker said. "I was just blessed to be here. Unfortunately, my day energy is short ... but I was coming out with a plan."

Barker impressed in the vertical jump and had 16 bench press reps. When asked why NFL teams should be interested in him, Barker said it's because of his play-making ability.

"I'm one big play away," Barker said. "I'm a big play. That's, one thing you could say about me, that I'm a big play."

Barker, who transferred to Michigan State from Illinois ahead of the 2022 season, really appreciated his time in East Lansing and thinks it prepared him for the next level.

"Yeah, definitely," Barker said when asked if Michigan State taught him how to be a professional. "It was a goal to come here and just learn how to be a pro on and off the field. Be (at) an all around program. That's what I got (from Michigan State). I recommended it to anybody. If I had to do it again, I'd do it again."

(Note that Michigan State, not Michigan, should be tagged in the post above showing Broussard's numbers).

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