If you want to know how good New York Giants rookie linebacker Arvell Reese was in his final season at Ohio State in 2025, remember that when scouts cut up his film following the season, the consensus thought was that he could be a Top 10 pick at 2 different positions — edge rusher and inside linebacker.
The Giants took him at No. 5 overall and intend to play him at inside linebacker for good reason — that’s where they’ve been the worst in recent years, and 2025 was when they truly bottomed out.
“Going back and watching the (Giants) film on their off-ball linebackers in 2025 … just some true war crimes going on out there,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes said on July 1. “So many missed tackles. So many missed assignments. The Giants led the league with 75 different plays where they gave up 10 or more rushing yards. That’s just so many. (The off-ball linebackers) may have been the worst position group in the NFL.”
Enter Reese, who might be the most versatile defensive prospect in the 2026 draft class. Even if he may not have wanted to be an inside linebacker in the NFL to begin with.
Big Reason Why Reese Wants Edge Rusher Status
It’s pretty easy to understand why Reese, 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, wanted to go into the NFL as an edge rusher and not an inside linebacker and insisted on doing drills at both positions at the NFL scouting combine. That reason is money.
The highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner, is playing on a 3-year, $63 million contract that pays him approximately $21 million per year.
The highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL, Houston Texans superstar Will Anderson Jr., just signed a 3-year, $150 million contract extension that pays him $50 million per year.
“My TOP player in the draft and has been since September is Arvell Reese from Ohio State … he falls somewhere in between Micah Parsons and Jalon Walker,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said on The Ross Tucker Podcast ahead of the draft.
Rare Praise for Arvell Reese as NFL Prospect
Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets, went back and forth as the top defensive prospect in the 2026 NFL draft, although Bailey can’t play multiple positions like Reese can.
“(Reese) is fast in pursuit and his tackle finishing could become elite,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “His rush is kinetic and tough for tackles to mirror. It’s under construction, but Reese has already sprouted go-to moves and rush plans that need more refinement. He might need some runway to hit his stride, but his rare blend of traits, explosiveness and versatility could become a perfect storm of chaos once a defense decides how to deploy him.”
In 2026, Reese was 1 of 2 inside linebackers taken in the Top 10 picks along with teammate Sonny Styles, who also landed in the NFC East Division with the Washington Commanders taking him at the No. 7 overall pick.
“The Giants never thought (Reese) would be there at No. 5, and the talent was too good to pass up — even with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter already on the roster,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account.
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