Michigan State's Ben VanSumeren signs as free agent with Eagles; what kind of player is Philly getting?
Michigan State linebacker Ben VanSumeren signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, Saturday night, following the NFL Draft, making him one of the more interesting UDFAs of 2023.
VanSumeren (6-3, 235, Bay City, Mich./Garber High School) had an up-and-down senior season at Michigan State as an inside linebacker but turned in eye-popping numbers at the Michigan State Pro Day on March 15.
Insiders have said that VanSumeren was the second fastest Spartan during the 2022 season behind only Ameer Speed, and he backed that up with a 40-yard dash clocking in the 4.4s. His time would have ranked somewhere among the top two or three at the linebacker position at the NFL Combine if he had been invited to that event.
His 40-plus vertical jump would have ranked No. 1 among linebackers at the NFL Combine. And his 29 reps on the bench press would have tied for first at the NFL Combine, and his 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump would have ranked No. 1.
Based on those numbers, NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, of the Move The Sticks podcast, predicted that VanSumeren would get drafted this weekend based on his Michigan State Pro Day numbers. That did not turn out to be the case, but VanSumeren still packs interesting horsepower in a capable frame.
SpartanMag.com didn’t agree with Jeremiah’s forecast, due to VanSumeren’s inconsistent film from his senior season at Michigan State.
VanSumeren was outstanding in the season opener against Western Michigan in sprinting to the perimeter to defend sweeps and short passes to the flat. He had 11 tackles on that night. There is no question that he puts his speed to good use as a pursuit defender, sideline-to-sideline.
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However, VanSumeren struggled to play with instinctiveness and physicality between the tackles against the run as the season progressed. He was replaced in the starting lineup in weeks seven and eight against Wisconsin and Michigan as Jacoby Windmon moved from defensive end to his natural position as an inside linebacker. VanSumeren officially missed the Wisconsin game due to injury.
When Windmon was suspended for the final four games of the season, VanSumeren returned to the starting lineup. He finished with 81 tackles on the year.
VanSumeren transferred to Michigan State from Michigan prior to the 2021 season. In 2021, VanSumeren logged 122 snaps on defense as a back-up.
At Michigan in 2020, he started two games and had seven tackles on the year.
In 2019 at Michigan, he played in five games at fullback. He had five carries for 20 yards. He also played four games at fullback at Michigan in 2018.
VanSumeren will be an intriguing project for the Eagles to try to develop. The Eagles won’t be the first to try their hand at tapping into VanSumeren’s considerable athleticism. But at some point, VanSumeren will need to show he can play with force.
