Anthony Rivardo
The New York Giants’ defensive scheme is undergoing a major shift under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese is emerging as the ultimate catalyst.
According to recent practice dispatches published on Giants.com by Dan Salamone, Matt Citak, and John Schmeelk, the fifth overall pick has spent the spring lining up practically everywhere on the field. Just like he was deployed at Ohio State, the Giants are preparing to use Reese as an X-Factor weapon who can attack from any alignment.
Arvell Reese has been lining up all over the Giants’ defense
Reese’s seamless multi-role usage at OTAs isn’t a new experiment; it’s an evolution of the versatile blueprint he perfected with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Measuring in at a towering 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds with 4.46-speed, Reese terrorized the Big Ten by splitting time between standard inside linebacker responsibilities and edge rusher.
“Arvell Reese was lining up everywhere in the individual portion of drills. During team drills, he made a great play closing on a swing pass to Devin Singletary before he could get to the goal line during red zone drills,” Schmeelk wrote on Tuesday following the Giants’ eighth OTA practice of the spring.
His highly disruptive 2025 campaign—which yielded a Consensus All-American nod and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year honors—showcased an elite pass-rushing trait. Even when playing standard off-ball assignments, his downhill burst allowed him to compile 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.
“It may have only been his third full NFL practice, but Arvell Reese was all over the field,” Matt Citak wrote about Reese following Giants OTA practice No. 3. “It started with very strong coverage during 7-on-7 drills, where he ran step for step with Devin Singletary on a wheel route to force an incompletion. Later during 11-on-11s, Reese sniffed out a screen pass to Tracy for what would have been a loss of a few yards. The No. 5 overall pick has put his speed and athleticism on full display over this first week of OTAs.”
Anchoring the middle of the field with that elite athletic range allows the Giants to maximize their defensive lineup and utilize Reese in a variety of ways. While he will primarily be an inside “WILL” linebacker for the Giants, his valuable versatility will allow them to align him all over the defensive lineup, giving him the autonomy to attack.
“Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, the fifth overall draft choice, once again showed his sideline-to-sideline speed and closed quickly on a screen play,” Dan Salamone wrote on Giants.com after OTA No. 4.
Reese can be a defensive X-Factor
It’s clear that Dennard Wilson plans to deploy Reese as a genuine defensive x-factor rather than locking him into a static position. Throughout early team periods, Reese has worked alongside Tremaine Edmunds at inside linebacker, but he has also walked down into the A-gaps to trigger simulated pressures, and stood up as an exterior edge rusher opposite Brian Burns.
This Swiss Army knife approach is a nightmare for protections because it prevents offensive coordinators from identifying the “Mike” or tracking the hot blitzer. If a rookie linebacker can effectively drop into hook-zones on one snap and bend the edge on a speed-rush the next, the Giants can transition between heavy front logic and sub-package coverage without altering their personnel.
Unlocking Reese’s potential
By injecting a top-five draft asset with this unique athletic profile into the second level, the Giants are building an entirely unpredictable modern defense. Reese’s rare combination of coverage length and sudden pass-rushing efficiency means his inclusion on the field doesn’t create structural vulnerabilities.
Rather than forcing him to specialize early, Wilson is actively leveraging Reese’s collegiate background to give the Giants an aggressive, versatile identity heading into training camp. It is an approach designed to dictate the terms of the game, transforming a high-upside rookie from a standard scheme participant into a pure, multi-alignment chess piece that offenses will have to game-plan around every single week.
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