Inside Arvell Reese's First Three Games in the NFL: The Good and the Bad

Arvell Reese shined in the scarlet and gray, but how has he faired so far in blue and red?

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) pressures Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Oct. 4, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Arvell Reese became one of the most beloved players on the Ohio State defense, although often times he was overlooked because of teammates like Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs.

Going into the 2026 NFL Draft, Reese ended up being viewed as the best Buckeye to be coming into the NFL due to his size and quickness. He ended up being the first of eight Ohio State defensive players to be selected, when he was selected fifth overall by the Giants.

Let's take a look at Reese's time in Columbus before diving into the good and the bad from his time in New York so far.

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese tackles Michigan running back Bryson Kuzdzal during OSU's 27-9 win on Nov. 29, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Reese finished his three year run at Ohio State with 112 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks in 36 total games for the Buckeyes. This also included a National Championship in 2024.

Reese showed a lot of great qualities in college, but the real question is, how did it translate to the NFL?

The Good

The first good thing that jumps out is that Reese has played in all three games for the Giants so far. At times, when defensive players come out of college and get drafted, they might struggle to find their fit and earn playing time, that has not been the case for Reese.

Reese's stats through his first three games for the Giants have been very solid, considering the tougher opponents in weeks one and two in the Cowboys and the Rams. 25 total tackles through his first three games is a good sign that he still has that knack for attacking the football in the open field.

The game where he was able to really show his talents was week three against the Titans. 13 tackles, 10 of those being solo, is a very solid performance for Reese and allowed him to show some of his talents to the entire NFL.

ARVELL 😤 REESE 😤 pic.twitter.com/xOdguVwT4u

— New York Giants (@Giants) September 29, 2026

The Bad

While Reese has done a lot of really good things, you cannot ignore the other side of that coin which is the bad.

The biggest one came after week three, his former teammate Sonny Styles was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Styles was drafted two picks lower than Reese at seven by a division rival in the Washington Commanders and it already feels like Styles is ahead of Reese in the NFL.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia celebrates with Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) and linebacker Arvell Reese (8) following the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The other thing that jumps off the page in terms of the bad: Reese has not recorded a sack or a TFL through his first three games. During his final two seasons in Columbus that is where he ended up being the most disruptive was being in the backfield and blowing plays up ad he has not been able to accomplish that in the NFL so far.

The 2026 NFL Season is still young, so Reese has a lot of time to make a name for himself at the next level.