Anthony Rivardo
The Giants released three-time captain Bobby Okereke in March, absorbing a $5.4 million dead-cap charge to clear roughly $9 million in space. Six weeks later, they used the No. 5 overall pick on Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, the highest-graded non-quarterback on their 2026 board.
John Harbaugh spent 18 years in Baltimore around premium middle linebackers and has made run defense a stated priority in New York. The release and the pick are the same decision: the Giants tore down the second level of their defense and rebuilt it to fit him.
Why The Giants Cleared The Middle
Okereke left production behind that is not easy to replace. He finished 2025 with 143 tackles, the fourth-most in a single season in franchise history, and served as a captain in each of his three years with the team. Releasing him was a cap decision on a 30-year-old entering the last year of a four-year, $40 million deal. But Okereke’s efficiency had declined in 2025, despite his high volume of tackles. With Okereke gone, though, the Giants needed to immediately reinvest at the position.
Tremaine Edmunds signed in free agency to man the middle, the boring but correct fix, and Micah McFadden returned from the injury that cost him 2025 after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons in 2023 and 2024. Reese is the piece meant to raise the group’s ceiling rather than just steady it.
| Player | 2026 Status | Production Context |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Okereke | Released (cleared $9M cap) | 143 tackles in 2025 |
| Arvell Reese | Rookie, No. 5 overall | 69 tackles, 10 TFL, 6.5 sacks (2025, Ohio State) |
| Tremaine Edmunds | Veteran starter | Signed in free agency |
| Micah McFadden | Depth, returning | 100-plus tackles in 2023 and 2024 |
What Reese Actually Brings
Reese posted 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks across 14 games in 2025, splitting his snaps between off-ball linebacker and the edge, and the production earned him Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, first-team all-conference, and consensus All-American honors. At 6-foot-4, 241 pounds with a 4.46-second 40, he tested as one of the most explosive linebackers in the class, and the Giants’ scouts credited him with playmaking range “a city block wide.”
The versatility is the reason the pick made sense at No. 5. General manager Joe Schoen said Reese “is going to be an off-the-ball linebacker for us and play Will, and I love the versatility,” via NFL.com.
A weak-side linebacker who can chase plays sideline to sideline and rush the passer on third down is exactly the movable chess piece a Harbaugh defense weaponizes, and the Giants signed him to a four-year, $47.8 million rookie deal with a $31.2 million signing bonus to be that piece for the next half-decade.
The Fit Alongside Edmunds
Reese lined up next to Edmunds at inside linebacker once OTAs opened, pairing a 28-year-old veteran run-stopper with a rookie the staff can move around him. That alignment lets Edmunds handle the traditional Mike responsibilities while Reese attacks from the Will spot, and it hands defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson a two-man core with range, size, and pass-rush juice the Giants have not had in the middle in years.
A Position Group Remade In One Offseason
The Giants entered the offseason with a captain leading their linebackers and exited it with that captain gone and a top-five pick in his place. Reese does not have to match Okereke’s 143 tackles as a rookie to justify the move, because the Giants did not draft him to be a tackle-compiler. They drafted him to be the fastest, most disruptive player at the second level of Harbaugh’s defense, and camp at The Greenbrier on July 30 is where he starts proving they were right to bet the No. 5 pick on it.
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