DAVIE, Fla. — Reagan Mauia completed his first NFL mini-camp with a smile. That tends to happen when one of the most recognizable owners in professional sports offers you a vote of confidence.

Mauia met Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga yesterday, the last day of May mini-camp, and the former University of Hawai'i running back didn't hesitate to shake Huizenga's hand.

"He's like Midas," said Mauia, one of three former Warriors in the Dolphins camp. "Everything he touches turns to gold."

Mauia thanked Huizenga "for bringing me on and believing in me and he said, 'You're going to do fine. Just hang in there and it will be OK.' "

Surprised to even be drafted — and reunited with college teammates Samson Satele and Tala Esera — Mauia represents a trend for new Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron and general manager Randy Mueller. The team is dedicated to modifying the personality of its locker room. In drafting three players of Polynesian descent and signing another, Cameron says he hopes to add a level of togetherness to the team's chemistry.

"(Cameron) knows that the Polynesian kids play with passion," Mauia said. "It's the love that we have for the game. We're a little different breed — just the way we are with each other and the way we are with the team. We treat each other like family. Coaches see it."

As for evaluating the talent level of the Dolphins' Hawai'i connection, Cameron said that he won't be able to assess much until he sees his rookies in training camp. A rookie's first mini-camp is more about acclimation and understanding than anything, according to the coach.

"I've seen too many guys that come into that first mini-camp and look good and then don't make the team and then guys that have come in and looked awful that go on to be great players," Cameron said. "So, I haven't put any expectations on my mind on those rookies in the first mini-camp.

"These guys have flown halfway across the world, some of them — the time schedule — they got a lot of things going on in their minds, so we're not going to make any judgments on any of them."

While Cameron remained vague about most rookies, he did speak about Mauia, whose personality and background story have drawn interest. While at UH, Mauia changed positions from nose tackle to fullback and lost nearly 100 pounds in the process.

"He looks the part," Cameron said. "He was able to get lined up, which with fullbacks is the first thing they have to do.

"Our assessment of him—until the pads come on — we really won't know. But all indications, including what we saw in college, is that he's going to be a good football player."

The Dolphins allowed Satele and Esera to leave mini-camp early yesterday to return to Hawai'i. The two players missed an NFL rookie symposium geared toward educating rookies on the pitfalls they might face in their first year as a professional athlete. Cameron said the session would be recorded on DVD and mailed to the two.

Hawai'i's traditional pregame haka was a popular topic over the past three days. Satele said he, Esera and Mauia expect to perform the dance for their new teammates possibly as soon as the next mini-camp in June.

"Whatever the veterans want us to do," Satele said.