FARGO — Dawn Miller was standing near one of the end zones inside North Dakota State's fancy indoor practice facility, the Nodak Insurance Football Performance Complex, when a comment was made to her about the size of Bison offensive linemen working out for NFL scouts.
"Those are large men," was the exact quote, referring to Dawn's son Mason and his linemates Grey Zabel and Hunter Poncius. All measured taller than 6-foot-6 and more than 300 pounds as NDSU held its pro day Thursday.
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Mason Miller drills with Grey Zabel during NDSU Pro Day at the Nodak Insurance Football Performance Complex on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
David Samson / The Forum
"They don't seem that big to me," Dawn said.
It might be because she's used to being around Mason and NDSU football players.
It might also be because standing next to Dawn was her husband and Mason's father, Paul.
"Yeah, they all look small standing next to me," Paul chuckled.
That might be true. Paul, 54, is a gargantuan human, standing 6-9 and weighing more than 300 pounds. Mason, officially, measured 6-6, 306 pounds.
"He was actually pretty lean when he played basketball as a senior in high school. He was 225 or 230 pounds," Dawn said. "He looked nothing like he does now."
"And he struggled to get that big," Paul said. "He ate and ate, but couldn't put on any weight. Must be high metabolism. That's where this place helped him. They put some pounds on him."
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"This place" is NDSU, where Miller spent five years playing on the offensive line, moving from tackle to guard and back again (and even playing some tight end early in his career) as needed. He spent his senior year in 2024 at right tackle, bookending what turned out to be a rock-solid line that had potential first-round draft pick Zabel at left tackle.
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Former North Dakota State offensive lineman Mason Miller was featured in a Forum article highlighting his basketball success at Ada-Borup, Minn.
Forum file photo
While Zabel could hear his name called on the first day of the draft on April 24, that possibility does not exist for Miller. The best he could hope for, most likely, is being picked late in the third day in the seventh round.
"He has draftable qualities, I'll say that about him," said one NFL scout inside the building. "If that doesn't happen, he'll get a chance with somebody (as a rookie free agent signee)."
There were scouts representing 29 NFL teams in attendance, mostly to see Zabel and quarterback Cam Miller (who also has a chance to be drafted late). But players like linebacker Nick Kubitz and defensive tackle Eli Mostaert also helped themselves greatly with their workouts Thursday, according to one source, and Mason Miller has been one of those names mentioned on the fringes since shortly after NDSU won the Football Championship Subdivision national title in Frisco, Texas, in early January.
He participated in the College Gridiron Showcase shortly after Frisco and has been working out at Training Haus in a Twin Cities suburb since then. Like other NDSU offensive linemen of recent vintage who made it to the NFL like Cody Mauch and Cordell Volson, Miller's future would be on the interior of the offensive line.
"I actually took center snaps down at CGS and I've been playing everything, just kind of preaching and selling myself as 'the best ability is availability,'" Miller said. "If I can do anything — play left side, right side, inside, outside — I think that's where I'd best fit. Tackles nowadays, they all have 35-inch arms. So 33 1/2 might not be able to play outside."
That Miller has a chance to play in the NFL is a good story all by itself. He was a standout basketball player and track and field thrower — as well as a do-it-all player on the football field — at little Ada-Borup High School in Minnesota, about 45 miles northeast of Fargo-Moorhead.
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"I was all about basketball until my junior year when NDSU offered me in football and my recruitment took off. I was talking with Minnesota State Moorhead, Bemidji State, Southwest Minnesota State for basketball. Even NDSU. Kyan Brown, who used to be an assistant here, talked to me," Miller said. "I actually went to more basketball camps at NDSU than football camps."
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Mason Miller drills during NDSU Pro Day at the Nodak Insurance Football Performance Complex on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
David Samson / The Forum
Miller was good enough on the hardwood to lead the Cougars to the 2019 Class A semifinals in the state tournament, averaging 19.7 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in three games in the Twin Cities.
Credit recently retired football assistant Randy Hedberg for getting the ball rolling. He went to Hillsboro, N.D., to watch former Bison linebacker Oscar Benson play basketball and the Burros' opponent happened to be Ada-Borup. Miller was a tall, lanky sophomore with athleticism and great feet.
"NDSU knew about Mason before that, but after that basketball game Randy called me and said, 'We're going to be recruiting him for football. Just wanted to give you a heads-up,'" Miller's high school football coach Paul Tinjum said. "With Mason, it's his athleticism that's going to get him somewhere. He has more athleticism and is quicker than most kids that size. And he's very smart."
Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, North Dakota and NDSU all sent coaches to Ada. Some Ivy League schools also contacted him.
"Once the football interest became so heavy, I think he made that decision to move away from basketball," Paul Miller said. "Like he's always said, 'It's easier to add pounds than inches.'"
Mason largely enjoyed the recruiting attention, with a rather large asterik.
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"The Gophers never offered him, and I think that still bothers him," Dawn said. "PJ Fleck said he'd never be big enough to play Division I football. I think he was always coming here to NDSU, but I know that he wanted Minnesota to at least offer him. I'd say he got big enough. And if he was to make it to the NFL ..."
That chance obviously exists, whether it's through the draft or a free-agent signing.
"It's all up in the air right now," Miller said. "But if I got drafted in the seventh round, that'd be awesome."