With the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected LB Arvell Reese out of Ohio State on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
Some expected Reese to go number two to the Jets, but they selected edge rusher David Bailey out of Texas Tech.
Giants GM Joe Schoen was surprised that Reese dropped to five.
“We hoped,” Schoen said. “But there weren’t a lot of scenarios that we went through where he may be available.”
According to Reese, he wasn’t sure where he would go, but he’s happy to play in the NFL.
“You know, even before the draft I always said that nothing was guaranteed,” Reese said. “It was all just speculation and mocks and stuff. Whatever happened was God’s plan. I wasn’t questioning anything; I wouldn’t say I was surprised or not. I’m just blessed to be here.”
The 20-year-old Reese said he met with the Giants on multiple occasions and that, out of all the teams he spoke to, the All-American linebacker enjoyed talking to the Giants the most.
“I did a formal visit with them at the combine,” Reese said. “I did a 30 visit with them, and I think I just like those coaches, Coach Dennard, Coach Bush, I sat down with them at dinner and I think that was like a major part in this. We had a great talk. I also had a great talk with Coach Harbaugh. I respect those guys. I can truly say those were some of the best conversations I had on my 30 visits.”
Giants head coach John Harbaugh says he has big plans for the 6-4, 241-pound linebacker, and he is going to play the versatile Reese in multiple places on the field.
“Arvell is a versatile player, and we’re going to play him at inside backer,” Harbaugh said. “Will linebacker. 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, off the edge. He’ll be moving around with all of our guys. Abdul (Carter) and Brian (Burns) and Kayvon (Thibodeaux) and Tremaine. We’ll be running games and picks and stunts and different things like that on passing situations, and he’s good in coverage as well; he’s a versatile player. He’s a young player. He’s gotten better every single year, playing off the ball and on the ball, so he does both. Probably why he was our highest rated non- quarterback player in the draft. He’s an exciting player. We are fired up to have him.”
The Giants have edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, and Brian Burns. Reese is looking forward to playing alongside those players.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “Yes, sir. As soon as I settled down, that’s what I thought about. Dang, you got (outside linebacker) Kayvon Thibodeaux. You got (outside linebacker) Brian Burns, you got (outside linebacker) Abdul Carter. That sounds like a great situation playing alongside those guys.”
Leave a Reply