Newly drafted Arizona Cardinals tight end Tip Reiman recently spoke with Ron Wolfley and Luke Lapinski on Arizona Sports on what it means to him to be drafted and his goals for the future.
“This was a really cool thing and I feel like it was just ordained from the Lord,” Reiman said.
Reiman was drafted 82nd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft – much higher than most media big boards had him projected going. Regardless of media feelings, it is clear that Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon placed a high value on getting a player like Reiman in the building.
Gannon has made it clear in the past that he values players who play “violent” and by all accounts it seems that Reiman fits the bill.
When asked how he plays the tight end position, Reiman replied that the, “first adjective that comes to mind is aggressive. Just aggressive, violent, physical. Those are things that I pride myself on and I feel that with the intent that I have if I bring that to every situation; run blocking, pass game, anything, that it can up my game big time.”
After admitting that he had been kicked out of flag football as a young player for being too physical, Reiman said that he has always enjoyed “for lack of better words, hurting people, and in the right way, between the lines.”
Reiman quickly followed that with the opposing idea. He enjoys being able to, “love people so well and be gentle outside the white lines.” Comparing his position with that of the biblical David who both slayed Goliath and wrote poetry, Reiman believes that it is not impossible to be both kinds of people: a warrior and a poet.
Asked about how he can complement burgeoning star tight end Trey McBride, Reiman replied that he thinks they can, “really complement each other with the way we do some things really similarly and the way we do some things really differently. I think it’s going to be a really dynamic duo when you get out there in 12 [personnel] and you give defenses something to worry about.”
Finally, when asked why he is the type of guy who likes to prove himself, Reiman gave the type of answer that must have convinced Gannon/Ossenfort that he is the right player for this team:
“Everything is proven, everything is earned, nothing is stumbled upon,” he said.
“… Not one inch is given, it’s all earned. … I’m going to earn everything. I am going to earn every inch and please don’t give me anything, let me work for it.”
