Round 1, Pick 5 – Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
“The Giants just became the scariest edge-rushing group in the NFL and truthfully it’s not even close. Their third down packages are going to be a true sprint to the quarterback. Reese has special play strength for someone with 4.46 speed. And he’s only scratching the surface at 20-years old.”
Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
“The Giants likely can’t believe their luck. Reese has the most upside of any defensive player in this class, and he’s versatile and explosive. When you combine him with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and perhaps Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants now have a ferocious pass rush. And, as we saw a generation ago, that recipe makes Super Bowl jambalaya.
“Reese (6-4, 241) conjures up comparisons with former Penn State (and current Green Bay Packers) pass rusher Micah Parsons — and rightly so. Both were lethal pass-rushing linebackers in college and projected as edge defenders in the NFL. In his first season as a starter at Ohio State, Reese was a consensus first-team All-American and racked up 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 69 total tackles.”
Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated
“New York is amassing one heck of a front seven. With Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibadeaux and Abdul Carter up front, the Giants now have Reese alongside Tremaine Edmunds at the second level. For new coach John Harbaugh, he has his Roquan Smith in East Rutherford.”
“The draft couldn’t have fallen any more perfectly for the Giants to this point, with a couple of surprise picks leading to an Arvell Reese mini-slide. New York lands my top-ranked player here in Reese, a hyperversatile playmaker who can make an impact from both the off-ball linebacker and edge rusher spots. The Giants will have to prove they can fully maximize Reese’s skill set—and that means figuring out how to split his time on the edge and off the ball—but with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter already on the roster, New York’s coaching staff won’t have to force Reese into doing only one thing. Reese brings some potential variance because of his tweener profile, but he has as much upside as any player in this draft. I absolutely love this pick for New York.”
Charles McDonald, Yahoo! Sports
“This is how you get value in the top five of the draft. Reese easily could’ve been the second overall pick and nobody would have batted an eye. To get him here is a bit further than most people thought he would fall, and the Giants need to replenish front seven talent after trading away Dexter Lawrence. Reese can play any linebacker or edge rusher moving forward at a high level.”
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News
“The Giants take advantage of Reese falling a few spots after Bailey to get the most impactful defender available with Love and Tate off the board. Reese is a versatile weapon in the Micah Parsons vein who has shown some pass-rush juice to go with his lateral rangy playmaking. He gives them a little more ground coverage than former college teammate Sonny Styles.”
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
“The New York Giants should be thrilled, because Arvell Reese was almost universally seen as a top-three pick throughout the lead up to this event. Clearly, head coach John Harbaugh brought a little bit of the Baltimore Ravens with him to New York, because his previous team was known for getting great value on the regular.”
“This is a fascinating selection for the Giants, as Reese gives the Giants as formidable a trio of edge rushers as there is in the NFL, teaming, of course, with recent top-10 selections Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Reese’s ability to play the off-ball linebacker position, as well as project as a dynamic pass-rusher gives head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson an awful lot of flexibility. And unlike some of the coaches who passed on Reese, Harbaugh has the security to give him time to develop.”
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today
“Reese was the top-ranked overall player on many analysts’ big boards (including ours). He can detonate blockers and ball carriers alike, which will surely come in handy for bolstering the league’s 31st-ranked run defense. The pass-rush plan might take some time to coalesce, but the Micah Parsons comparisons – while lofty – are not unfounded.”
“In today’s NFL the most important spot on the field remains seven yards behind the center. You need a quarterback that can throw from there, linemen that can protect that spot, and defenders that can attack it. The Giants now have some talent on their defense front with the addition of Arvell Reese. There will be some refinement needed if he moves to the edge full-time, and he can still offer some athleticism on the second level if the Giants want to use him in an off-ball role, but they have given themselves some options here at No. 5, and I love when a team seems to have a plan.”
No. 1 Best Value Pick of the First Round – Arvell Reese
“Long viewed as a possible option for the Jets at No. 2, Reese gave the Giants a top-of-the-board talent at No. 5 overall. New York did not have to force the pick, which made this a clean best-player-available swing on a front-seven chess piece with real positional flexibility — one who can slot in alongside Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“At 241 pounds, Reese ran a 4.46 40 and reached 22.58 mph at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to NGS tracking data, the second-fastest top speed among edge rushers in this year’s class. That speed showed up in movement drills, too: He hit 15.01 mph in the run-the-hoop drill and 14.20 mph in the defensive line pass-rush drill — both top-two marks among edge defenders. Pair that athletic profile with an 84 production score and a 20-plus pressure rate in his lone season as a starter (according to PFF), and it is easy to see why the Giants viewed him as a high-end value pick with immediate sub-package juice and long-term upside.”
Ben Linsey, Pro Football Focus
“Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.”
“With Tate off the board, the Giants select a dynamic athlete in Reese who possesses the speed, explosiveness and power to win. He should fit seamlessly into Dennard Wilson’s defense alongside Brian Burns, making the Giants’ front an absolute headache for quarterbacks. I expect the hybrid playmaker to be a force from the jump in New York.”
“Reese doesn’t have much experience working as a traditional edge rusher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t impact the quarterback as a pass rusher, even if he ends up playing primarily off-ball for New York. Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.”