Mason Reiger was an absolute beast at the East-West Shrine Bowl game. He turned heads in so many ways and walked away with the Defensive MVP Award. He was wrecking offensive linemen, trying to keep him away from quarterbacks, putting pressure in the backfield seemingly on every down. He ended the game with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, and one forced fumble.
2026 East-West Shrine Bowl Defensive MVP
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) January 28, 2026
💫 @reiger_mason, @BadgerFootball#ShrineBowlWHOSNEXT pic.twitter.com/8jZvZjh99s
Wisconsin's Mason Reiger was the player that turned all the NFL Scouts heads
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The NFL pundits had Reiger as a day 3 pick or even an UDFA before this week. Yet, every single day in practices and drills, someone was mentioning how good Reiger is. His name was popping up all over the place, and not just Wisconsin fans, beat reporters, or people already paying attention to Reiger. He was getting recognition across the NFL landscape.
He was impressive at Wisconsin in his one season there; he was constantly pressuring quarterbacks. Wisconsin fans knew he was good, honestly, so did Louisville fans, where he spent three seasons, but he seems to be reaching another level as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Look at his strip sack below:
Wisconsin’s Mason Reiger continues to shine in the East-West Shrine Bowl game after a strong week of practice.
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 28, 2026
Comes up with a strip sack here. Violent hands and can bend. pic.twitter.com/S5LoD3fOG7
These aren't schmucks he's playing against; these are other top NFL prospects that are also trying to showcase their talent and get drafted higher. Yet, there wasn't a better performer in the week leading up to the game and at the game itself than Mason Reiger.
It wouldn't surprise anyone if he finds his name called earlier than originally projected, sneaking into day 2 of the NFL Draft. Could he go in the first round? That would be an insane rise, and probably not realistic, but if he keeps this up, who knows how far he can go.
Let's actually look at one more highlight play from the East-West Shrine bowl:
Good job from #Wisconsin EDGE Mason Reiger here converting from run to pass and getting home for another sack pic.twitter.com/dbaNUfXURo
— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) January 28, 2026
Reiger is a beast, and once again, Wisconsin is producing elite OLB talent, and it looks like Reiger is the next one on the list.
