June is approaching and football operations in Miami, and around the league, are in full swing. The Miami Dolphins have been bringing in bodies to compete in camp, recently a pair of offensive tackles, both formerly of AFC East rivals.
Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbuehi were inked to one-year deals early in the week and respectively played for the New England Patriots and New York Jets. In addition to adding veterans from the free agent scrap heap for camp competition, there’s still a class of undrafted rookie free agents vying for a spot on either the active roster or practice squad.
We’ve been profiling members of Miami’s 2023 undrafted class, and, so far, we’ve looked at a linebacker, and a couple of linemen, one offensive and one defensive.
Today, we’ll look at another linebacker, Illinois State pass-rushing specialist Zeke Vandenburgh, coming off a phenomenal career in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
After a five-year run following a redshirt freshman year, Vandenburgh was voted as a First-team FCS All-American following his 2022 season. Adding to that accolade was being named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year after a stellar season.
He led the entire NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision with 14 sacks and came in tied for third with 21 tackles for loss, earning the Buck Buchanan Award for the best defensive player in the FCS. He was the Redbirds’ tackles leader with 100, adding four passes defended and two forced fumbles as well. On the field, Vandenburgh is a force with a motor that could be characterized as relentless when getting after the passer.
These traits make up for less-than-perfect NFL size at the position standing at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. His effort and underdog fight mentality will make up for less-than-desired length and speed for a dominant prototypical edge-rusher at the professional level.
However, in addition to his on-field intensity, he’s a smart kid who was named to the conference All-Academic team to match his football honors. Also, and this can always be an added plus, he’s the son of a football coach, who he played for in high school.
Countering his deficiencies again in size and speed, Vanenburgh works with his hands well to shed blockers and can certainly match the strength of tight ends trying to contain him on a rush.
Vandenburgh could be a fun camp prospect to watch, as his small school pedigree and persistence on each snap could make him a candidate for the practice squad and, certainly, a player that fans can root for.
