His final year in Wisconsin earned him a contract with a hefty $175,000 guarantee<\/a>. He asked Miami to show him the money, and they obliged. Now, with training camp right around the corner, we at the Phin Phanatic sought some answers on what kind of person the Dolphins were getting with Reiger, in addition to the menace we can all see on tape. We phoned Badgers associate head coach \/ outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell <\/a>for an interview to give us the skinny on the Dolphins’ rookie EDGE.<\/p>\n Mason Reiger’s position coach Matt Mitchell thinks the Miami Dolphins got the player with the “highest motor as there was in college football”<\/p>\n PP: As a person, what should Dolphins fans know about Mason Reiger as he begins his NFL career? How do those qualities set him up for success?<\/p>\n MM: \u201c[I\u2019ve] been coaching college football for 25 years. I love that kid. He\u2019s been through a lot of adversity in his life, has overcome a lot, and a consequence of that is that he\u2019s incredibly gritty. Nothing\u2019s going to break him. Any adversity that comes his way, he\u2019s never going to let anything get him down. He\u2019s just a fighter in terms of that [grit].”<\/p>\n “He\u2019s also a great person, a really high-character person, [and] a great guy. I only had him for one year but he came in the locker room and just [made] an impact. He\u2019s got a really optimistic viewpoint in how he takes things on, so it\u2019s really unique. He fights, scratches, claws, has a lot of determination, a lot of grit, but is also super positive.”<\/p>\n “Not in a disrespectful manner, but he doesn\u2019t care that he was [undrafted]. Whether [he\u2019d been] a higher draft pick, mid-round, late round, or a free agent, he\u2019s going to come in and he\u2019s not going to take a backseat to anybody. He\u2019s going to fight and he\u2019s going to earn a spot.\u201d<\/p>\n PP: When did you realize Mason had a legitimate chance at the NFL? Was there a specific game, practice, or moment that convinced you?<\/p>\n MM: “He was coming off an injury at Louisville [when] we got him here in January. He didn\u2019t go through spring [practice]. Fall camp for us, [he] just made a ton of plays. I think he\u2019s got a chance too because of how smart he is. He\u2019s the coach\u2019s dream just because he picks things up the first time. He\u2019s not a guy that has to do a bunch of walk-throughs and things. He\u2019s got a good feel [and] he picks things up fast. We started to get a feel in fall camp like this guy\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n PP: What do you believe is the most underrated part of his game, or the trait that will translate quickest to the NFL?<\/p>\n MM: “I think it really has to do with his attention to detail in regards to preparation. He\u2019s going to be a guy both from a mental standpoint for an opponent and then knowing everything [matchup-wise]. He\u2019s going to study a ton of tape on tackles and tight ends to know their strengths and weaknesses and then attack those.”<\/p>\n “He\u2019s also really in tune with physical preparation. The weight room and all that stuff but more importantly the rehab and taking care of his body. If he happens to make it there and starts getting some money, he\u2019s not going to be foolish with things and he’s not a big partier or anything like that. I think he can have the disciplined lifestyle [NFL players] live \u2014 both in the building and outside of it.”<\/p>\n PP: If you could tell Dolphins fans one thing about Mason Reiger that they won’t find in a scouting report, what would it be?<\/p>\n MM: \u201c[Mason was] as high a motor, as high an effort guy as there was in college football. Watch the tape and like the Michigan game, [he\u2019s] chasing things down from the backside and all of the things he does. He plays relentless with as high a motor as anything. I think his effort is really going to [stand] out to [fans] as a guy who plays as hard as anybody you\u2019ve ever seen play.\u201d<\/p>\n PP: Is there a story, moment, or memory that you think best captures who Mason is, either as a player or as a person? It could be funny, work-related, or simply something that stuck out to you.<\/p>\n MM: \u201cI just think it\u2019s kind of funny that he\u2019s got a cat. You wouldn’t think an NFL EDGE player that played in the Big Ten would be a cat guy, but he\u2019s a cat guy. That\u2019d be the one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n You heard it here first, Dolphins fans. The EDGE rusher with nine lives to survive a brutal injury is a cat guy. How remarkably appropriate. On a more serious note, Reiger has all the tools. At 6’5″ and 251 pounds, he looks the part. His play on the field demonstrates the pass-rush ability to get it done at the next level. Now it’s all about letting nature take its course. If Reiger rises to the challenge, the Dolphins may have their next Cameron Wake right beneath their noses<\/a>. <\/p>\n
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