Arvell Reese's versatility allows the Giants' defense to utilize unique pass rush strategies. His ability to play multiple positions alongside other key players enhances the team's flexibility in defensive schemes.
The Giantsā Abdul Carter is an edge rusher, but he was converted from linebacker at Penn State. And some of his best snaps in his rookie season came as a standup, blitzing linebacker, attacking the interior of opponentsā offensive lines.
No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese is a weak side linebacker, but Ohio State split his snaps between the defensive line and the second level of the Buckeyesā defense in his All-American junior season.
Putting both of those players on the field at once and complementing edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, either in a rotation or all at once, gives John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson tons of options.
āOur defense is pretty flexible, positionless you might call it,ā Harbaugh said. āWeāll have an opportunity to move those guys around. But heāll line up next to [middle linebacker] Tremaine [Edmunds], and heāll be in the āAā gap, the āBā gap, the āCā gap, the āDā gap, off the edge. Heāll be moving around with all of our guys: Abdul and Brian and Kayvon and Tremaine.
āWeāll be running games and picks and stunts and different things like that on passing situations, and heās good in coverage, as well,ā he added.
Those options also present a challenge to Harbaugh and Wilson: They must deploy those weapons appropriately. They want to use each player in a position that maximizes his skill set. They want to develop Carter as a run defender and as an edge while continuing to use his athleticism to his advantage.
They need to continue to hone Reese as a true pass rusher, a position he has only just begun learning and playing in the past year or two, while starting him at weak side linebacker where he is most comfortable at least for 2026.
At Ohio State in 2024, Reese logged 309 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That included 280 in the box compared to only six on the defensive line.
Then in 2025 under former Lions head coach Matt Patricia, Reese split his 651 defensive snaps more evenly between the defensive line (327) and box (286). He logged a total of 55 snaps in the slot and two at corner in the two seasons.
āAs a linebacker, I wouldnāt say I model my game after nobody, but thereās a bunch of players I can remember growing up,ā he said Friday. āRight now, I think my favorite linebacker would be [the 49ersā] Fred Warner. is one of those guys. Guys like that.ā
Arvell Reese's ability to play multiple positions allows the Giants to implement diverse pass rush strategies and enhances overall defensive flexibility.
Key players complementing Arvell Reese include Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
The Giants plan to use various strategies such as stunts, games, and picks, taking advantage of Reese's movement across different gaps.
Arvell Reese primarily plays as a weak side linebacker but has experience on the defensive line as well.
Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda each hit two home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-2. Drew Rasmussen earned the win, allowing one earned run over five innings.
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, once a first-round prospect, is still undrafted after 75 picks.
Live updates on Jermod McCoy's unexpected slide in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Browns make a strategic trade with Giants, acquiring three picks in exchange for their Round 3 selection.
What does Carson Beck's draft pick mean for the Cardinals' QB competition?
Lions GM Brad Holmes trades up to pick Derrick Moore at No. 44. Was it the right move?
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
Reese, 20, is so young and explosive and talented, it is difficult to put a cap on the potential he has to impact this defense.
If the Giants field a defense with Burns, Thibodeaux, Carter and Reese in 2026, one source noted, the Giantsā coordinator Wilson might actually be able to rush four and play coverage on the back end rather than pressuring relentlessly.
It could give him the kind of rotation and flexibility to present offenses with challenges without having to do too much disguising other than just reassigning the versatile athletes on his defense play to play between the edge, the line and the box off the ball.
It sounded early Friday evening, however, like Thibodeaux could be traded after all.
Multiple reports suggested the Giants and Saints were engaged in trade conversations just one day after Harbaugh said āno,ā the Giantsā selection of Reese did not have them eager to move Thibodeaux.
āNo, no,ā Harbaugh said. āWe keep all the good players as much as we can. Right? We love Kayvon.ā
āYup,ā GM Joe Schoen said, nodding at Harbaugh.
That was an awkward comment since the Giants only days ago traded their best player, Dexter Lawrence, to the Cincinnati Bengals. And it would be even more awkward if they traded Thibodeaux only hours after Harbaugh shut down the notion that they might.
The Giants even had ESPN insider Adam Schefter tweet minutes after the Reese pick that they ādo not intend to tradeā Thibodeaux.
If they do, they would be escaping out from under Thibodeauxās $14.7 million fifth-year option salary and cap hit for this 2026 season. But they also would be limiting their pass rushās flexibility, options and depth.
Reese is a fast, rangy defender and tackler at the second level at linebacker. But none of Burns, Carter and Reese are accomplished or proven run defenders.
Thibodeaux has been up and down in that area in his career but has the build, physicality and ability to do it. And he has done it in this league.
Reese, who stands 6-4, 241 pounds, towered when he walked onto the stage at the Giantsā facility in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday for his introductory press conference. But he is still viewed a little bit light as an edge and will need to grow into that ability and that role.
The good news is Reese appears to have the right attitude playing for a Harbaugh defense.
āThe image that I remember growing up, I always felt like the Ravens played fast and violent, and thatās kind of what I try to model my game after, being fast and violent, always thinking violence for sure,ā Reese said.
Wilson has a lot to work with in Reese. He had 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 69 total tackles as a consensus All-American, first-team All-Big 10 player last season. And he is viewed as a prospect who is just scratching the surface.
But itās important from a value standpoint that the Giants develop Reese as a No. 5 overall pick into more than just a weakside linebacker ā but a pass rusher, too.
Itās important to maximize that pick that Harbaugh and Wilson deploy him and their other pieces up front properly together.
Especially if they trade Thibodeaux, there will be pressure on the coaching staff where there is also opportunity.