Why LB Arvell Reese is a Steal for the Giants’ New ‘Position-less’ Defense

From A-gap pressure to WILL linebacker, here is why the Ohio State star was the ultimate steal for the Giants at No. 5.

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese is selected by the New York Giants as the number five pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Giants started the 2026 NFL Draft off strong.  While many people (this writer included) believed they should trade down and collect more premium picks, they decided to stand firm at picks 5 and 10 and select players who could become valuable members of this team.

At pick 5, they chose Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. With players like fellow Ohio State teammates Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles still on the board, New York went with Reese's physicality, athleticism, and versatility.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen admitted that they were surprised to see Reese sitting there at No. 5 after having gone through multiple scenarios before the draft in which none of them had Reese falling to Big Blue.

But the Giants got their man, and they couldn’t have been happier about it because they’ve added another big-time pass rusher to their defense.

“ I think it's pretty a dominant pass rush off the edges already,” head coach John Harbaugh said of the group that also includes Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter.

“We had three practices this week with those guys, seeing Abdul, seeing Kayvon, seeing Brian, I mean, it's eye-opening. I haven't seen those kinds of guys for a while on a practice field. Now we add another guy into that mix. I can't wait to get him on the practice field with all those guys.”

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The “Position-less” Weapon

The Giants needed another linebacker to pair with Tremaine Edmunds in the middle of the field. While many thought that would be his college teammate Sonny Styles, Reese is a much better fit because of his physical nature.

He will come downhill and hit you, whereas many believe Styles would just find a way to get you on the ground. Reese's physicality is well documented, from when he drops down to the first level to take on offensive tackles in the run game.

When he hits ball carriers, they fall down. He rarely gets dragged or knocked back in a collision. And when he does have to engage on the front line, he provides a pop that allows him to control the action over much bigger offensive linemen.

Reese has a body that only complements his elite athleticism. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, Reese also boasts a 79.5-inch wingspan, comparable to elite-level offensive tackles in the NFL.

His 4.46-second 40-yard dash time was the fastest among linebackers and defensive linemen testing at the NFL Combine. His 1.53-1.58 10-yard split provides evidence of elite-level explosiveness off the line of scrimmage.

He is fast enough to run around you, tall and long enough to see over you and swat things away, and strong enough to bulldoze you and move you out the way.

When you're talking about versatility on the defense, Reese is just the man to fit into what should be an amoeba-style defense that conforms and gives offenses fits because they can never tell where pressure is coming from.

Reese is the very definition of versatile. During the 2025 season, he had 286 snaps as an off-ball linebacker and 327 snaps as an edge rusher, while also adding another 34 snaps as an overhang defender.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese works out during Pro Day for NFL scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on March 25, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reese is the ultimate chess piece

There have been legitimate discussions about whether he will play on the edge as a defender or stand up as an off-ball defender. That seemed to take more shape when Schoen said their plan was to retain Thibodeaux.

Harbaugh, meanwhile, already has a plan in place for where Reese will play.

“Arvell is a versatile player, and we're going to play him at inside backer, WILL  linebacker,” he said. “Our defense is pretty flexible–position-less. You might call it. We'll have an opportunity to move those guys around. But he'll line up next to Tremaine (Edmunds), and he'll be in the A-gap, the B-gap, the C-gap, the D-gap, and off the edge.

“He'll be moving around with all of our guys. Abdul (Carter), Brian (Burns), Kayvon (Thibodeaux), and Tremaine. We'll be running games and picks and stunts and different things like that in passing situations, and he's good in coverage as well.”

All of that will come over time, but the spot that makes the most sense to get Reese on the field the quickest is as an off-ball linebacker. But because of his physicality on the line of scrimmage, you could see him being involved in some type of speed package designed to give slower offensive linemen fits.

Overall, for a team looking to get more athletic, more physical, and more diverse, Arvell Reese made more sense to take at five than Sonny Styles (who ultimately fell to the Washington Commanders) or Caleb Downs (who dropped out of the top ten altogether).

Reese is widely considered the best defensive player in this draft and one of the best prospects overall. It was a no-brainer for the Giants front office and a pick that screams John Harbaugh toughness and physicality.

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