Why Ohio State’s Arvell Reese Is One of the Most Debated Prospects Before NFL Draft

With the 2026 NFL Draft closing in on us, a number of debates are raging around a few of the most sought after prospects.

One of the names eliciting a ton of discussion is Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, naturally.

According to a piece by former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks recently published at NFL.com, Reese is one of the ten most debate-worthy prospects to follow at the NFL Combine, which kicks off its team interviews today.

According to Brooks, the debate on Reese centers around the question of whether he’s an off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing skills, or a full-time edge rusher.

Brooks goes on to write:

"At Ohio State, Reese showed spectacular flashes, finishing with 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a junior last season. However, he's also an unproven commodity, with just one year of starting experience under his belt. And then there's the question of his place on the field, which has been fluid so far, including both off-ball linebacking and edge-rushing duties. This raises the possibility that he could grow into a Micah Parsons-style hybrid playmaker as a pro. It also suggests he still has work to do at both spots. The potential is tantalizing and could merit a top-five pick, but old-school executives would warn against taking a project that high without having a clear development plan or utilization strategy to maximize his talents at the next level.”

Brooks is right when he mentions Reese’s limited experience as a starter as a point that should be debated by teams aiming for him within the top five picks in the first round. However, Reese’s traits are rare, and those alone are what catapults him so high in draft projections.

When picking as high as a Top-5 pick in a draft, projection becomes a critical component for teams, as prospects with higher ceilings tend to get picked earlier than prospects that would likely appear closer to their maximum capacity.

Yes, landing spots and development at the pro level are important, but the more raw tools you have, the better.

Now, let’s look at it this way: if Reese becomes a genuine edge rusher with game-changing capabilities down the road after a permanent move, then great. The positional value of a game-wrecking pass rusher will always eclipse an off-ball linebacker.

However, if Reese never makes the conversion to full-time edge rusher, and he still shines as a versatile off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing capabilities, as he has proven to possess, then he can still be a very valuable piece to any defense, even as a part-time pass rusher, as he was used at Ohio State. Considering this sort of dual role as a floor, Reese still warrants a very high pick, as he’d be bringing that little something extra that most off-ball linebackers don’t possess: pressure off the edge at certain moments in a game.

Brooks also notes that “Reese is listed at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, and it's hard to find players of that stature with his combination of speed, agility and explosion. He operates with a level of violence and physicality that overwhelms blockers at the point of attack,” an assessment that very few prospects can match this year at either position.

Where could Arvell Reese land in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Reese is widely being mocked to the New York Jets at second overall by a number of well established media outlets. The Jets picked up edge rushers in two of their last four first-rounds, selecting Will McDonald IV at 15 in 2023 and Jermaine Johnson II one year before at the 26th position.

Johnson, who has been frequently mentioned as trade bait since the deadline of last season, made the Pro Bowl in 2023 after recording 7.5 sacks.

After the Jets, it’s hard to imagine a team like the Arizona Cardinals or Tennessee Titans at 4 passing up the opportunity to take Reese. For the Cards, he could be the perfect opposite to defensive end Josh Sweat, while in Tennessee, he could benefit extraordinarily from working alongside such a dominant lineman as Jeffery Simmons, a first-team All-Pro in 2025.