He can play all across the front seven, but the New York Giants already know how they’re going to use Arvell Reese, after making him the fifth-overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Reese became a worthy top-five pick at Ohio State thanks to a skill-set defined by versatility. The Giants fully intend to lean into the player’s roving traits, according to general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach John Harbaugh.
They revealed shortly after the pick “Their plan is to use him at inside linebacker and weak side linebacker. Raved about Reese’s versatility and his fit in Dennard Wilson’s flexible defense,” per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
They never expected Reese to be there at 5. Their plan is to use him at inside linebacker
This fits with what many draft observers noted about Reese’s likely early role in the pros. Yet, time spent at the second level doesn’t mean the former Buckeyes stud won’t be a feature of an already loaded pass-rush rotation that includes Brian Burns and last year’s No. 3 pick Abdul Carter.
Giants Following Expected Plan With Arvell Reese
Harbaugh and Schoen’s inside linebacker plan for Reese didn’t surprise ESPN’s Benjamin Solak. He quickly pointed out you “Have to imagine the Giants play Reese more at stack LB next to Tremaine Edmunds than they do at EDGE to start. Good. That’s his better position right now.”
Whether or not Reese is better off at the heart of the linebacker corps or rushing the passer from the edge, even in the short-term, is debatable. What’s not open for debate is the Giants just got a lot more athletic at inside linebacker than they’ve been in years.
Reese brings genuine sideline-to-sideline range, dynamic downhill aggression and a comfort in space to the position. Those aren’t qualities embodied by veteran holdover Micah McFadden, while two-time Pro Bowler Edmunds arrived in free agency with a warning about his production.
Putting Reese next to Edmunds can give the Giants renewed confidence about their athleticism at linebacker, but the rookie’s future surely lies closer to the defensive line.
Arvell Reese Not a Luxury Pick
Some expected the Giants to repeat their strategy from a year ago, when they selected freewheeling linebacker, edge-rusher Carter, but few anticipated Reese would be that replicated pick.
He might look like a luxury when Carter is on the depth chart. Even more so, when Carter is joined by 16.5-sack Pro Bowler Burns and another fifth-overall pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The latter has long looked like trade bait ahead of this draft, but Schoen and Harbaugh have other ideas, according to Solak’s colleague Adam Schefter. He quickly reported that “Despite drafting Arvell Reese, the Giants do not intend to trade DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, per source.”
Burns, Carter, Thibodeaux and now Reese give the Giants a quartet of edge-rushers they can mix and match to attack protection from multiple angles, out of a myriad of looks.
This is the essence of Resse’s long-term value. He can be as much a defining force for the front seven as the Giants’ other 2026 first-rounder, 10th-overall pick, offensive tackle Francis Maiugoa, who should be a force multiplier on the other side of the ball, despite a potential “red flag.”
John Harbaugh Reveals Giants’ Plan for Arvell Reese