Safe for Now? Why the Arvell Reese Pick Doesn’t Mean the End for Kayvon Thibodeaux

The Arvell Reese pick sent shockwaves through Big Blue Nation, who thought perhaps that might be the end for Kayvon Thibodeaux. Here is why that's not the case.

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) runs out of the tunnel during a Thursday Night Football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Oct. 9, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the New York Giants drafted Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the immediate reaction from Big Blue Nation was that Kayvon Thibodeaux's days as a Giant were coming to a quick end.

General manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh both immediately threw cold water over this theory, with Schoen telling reporters, “We keep all the good players as much as we can. Right? We love Kayvon.”

That’s not going to dissuade people from believing Thibodeaux isn’t in danger of having his time with the Giants come to an end, unless, of course, the Giants give him a contract extension in this, the option year of his rookie deal.

That is unlikely to happen given how the 2022 fifth overall pick in that draft has seen his career unfold, but there are other questions that Reese’s arrival has drummed up, mainly, where does he fit into what is suddenly a crowded pass-rushing group?

If you take a step back and look at it logically, the answer is clear.

Reese will train as an off-ball linebacker

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) leaves the field following the NCAA football game against the Ohio Bobcats at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

People fell in love with Reese's assertion that he would prefer to be an edge rusher. They didn't stop to think where he would be most effective.

Everything that evaluators had negative to say about his college teammate Sonny Styles as an off-ball linebacker are the things that you love about Reese at that position.

He comes downhill, and he packs a punch when he hits you. Tremaine Edmunds is not alone enough.

Just his presence at linebacker keeps the Giants in a similar situation to what they were in over the past few years, where Bobby Okereke was the only real legitimate linebacker on the field.

Yes, Micah McFadden is returning from injury, but what will he look like in this new defense? He is not a guy who comes down and tattoos you; like Styles, he uses angles to get guys to the ground.

When you put a guy with the physical profile and athleticism of Reese next to a guy like Edmunds, that is an intimidating linebacking corps. It is one that doesn't need an elite-level nose guard to shut down the run.

It's really hard to find a good all-around edge defender

New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

There is a reason why edge defenders get paid so much, especially when they have the ability to do everything: rush the passer and be a force in the run defense. It's really hard to find good edge defenders.

Giving up Thibodeaux for a draft pick does not guarantee that they will find a guy to replace him on the defense.

You need more than two edge rushers, and you want to have relief for guys like Abdul Carter and Brian Burns that does not diminish the return.

Thibodeaux allows for more versatility on defense; if he is not on the team, it almost forces them to train Reese as an edge defender because of the lack of depth.

One reason former New York Giant and Arizona Cardinal draftee Isaiah Simmons never reached his full potential in the NFL was that he was never allowed to focus on a single position.

Being shuttled around from safety to linebacker to edge rusher never allowed him to be comfortable in one position at a high level; therefore, he only showed flashes of being good wherever he was placed.

Keeping Thibodeaux means they can let Reese focus on doing one thing: becoming the best on-ball and off-ball linebacker they can find.

If he ever has to move to an edge rusher position, he already knows how to be fast, strong, and athletic off the edge. That seems like a no-brainer.

Defensive versatility is a must in Dennard Wilson's system

New Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson described the four pillars of his defense as “unpredictable, dynamic, decisive, and unapologetic.” It will be a defense that features a lot of disguise and theatricality, but he hopes it will be rooted in old-school New York toughness.

There are a lot of things you can say about Thibodeaux, but you can't say he's not tough, and you can't claim that he doesn't allow you versatility on your defense.

Thibodeaux’s physicality has been lauded as to why he's a top-five pick. We've already discussed that he fits into multiple roles on defense. If Thibodeaux is not around, that is one less chess piece that Wilson has at his disposal to utilize.

Expect to see all four of these athletic linebackers and edge rushers on the field at the same time. When that happens, it will be nearly impossible for offenses to check them. Even if they are not all on the field at the same time, it provides depth that keeps everybody fresh and ready to hunt.

So don't close the door on Thibodeaux's Giants career just yet. He still has the chance to make people realize how valuable he is and not regret his selection in the draft.

The best days as a Giant can be ahead for Thibodeaux (assuming he can stay healthy), while the future also looks bright for Reese.

These are first-world NFL problems, and Giants fans should be happy that Big Blue has them.

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