'Scratching the Surface': How Arvell Reese Plans to Unlock Elite Upside for Giants

Arvell Reese isn't your prototypical linebacker. From self-correcting his pad level to Joe Schoen's "pass-rushing chess piece" vision, here is why the Giants are betting big on the Ohio State star's versatility.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese poses on the red carpet. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese had his moment with his family after hearing his name called as the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Now he’s ready to get to work with Big Blue to take his game to the next level.  

“I think for one, my game can go in that right there, just playing off the edge,” Reese told reporters via conference call after his selection.

“I got limited snaps at it, limited practice time, and reps in practice at it. A majority of the time in practice, I was inside backer. They would send me down to do one-on-one reps later on in the week, but it was never anything intentional with the pass rushing.

“Right after that, I think my coverage can be way better. Pass rushing, my pad level. Plenty of times, I haven’t been set. So, I'm just excited to get to work and get better, to be honest.”

The Giants have big plans for Reese, whom they view as a positionless weapon for their revamped defense. But they are especially excited about his upside as a pass rusher.

“It's tremendous,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said of Reese’s pass-rushing prowess, which saw him record 7.0 sacks–6.5 this past season–for the Buckeyes.

“He's just scratching the surface. You see the size, the length, the traits. And just the versatility the player has and how we can use him with some of the pieces we already have.

“We're not going to necessarily have to ask him to win off the edge–we've got guys that can do that. So we have a phenomenal defensive staff, and they're going to find creative ways to use him.”

Reese can fill another role on the Giants' defense

Besides being a pass-rushing chess piece, Reese will give Big Blue snaps at inside linebacker, a unit that the team has put a heavy focus on remaking this offseason.

The Giants undoubtedly saw from Reese’s film and their in-person evaluation of him a natural fit for a defense that will prioritize diagnostic skills and downhill physicality.

Reese’s ability to stack and shed blockers makes him an ideal candidate for either linebacker spot, with the flexibility to move to the edge on third downs.

Drafting a linebacker in the top five is always a gamble, so much so that Reese is just the sixth linebacker drafted by the Giants in the first round in franchise history and the fourth highest one at that (Kayvon Thibodeaux was drafted as a defensive end out of college).

But Reese isn't your prototypical linebacker. He is a 20-year-old developmental phenom with the raw tools to become a disruptor in whatever role he’s asked to fulfill.

“There's not one or the other that I like to play more,” he said. “I would say I got more reps at inside backer, but I like playing, I honestly like playing both. That was my role last year, so I appreciated both, respected both roles.”

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