Anthony Rivardo
The Giants’ front office has poured assets into the edge rusher over the last few years; they already have Kayvon Thibodeaux (5th overall, 2022), Brian Burns (acquired for a 2nd rounder, 2024), and Abdul Carter (3rd overall, 2025). Yet, ESPN’s Peter Schrager—a man whose final mock drafts are notoriously close to reality—has the Giants taking Ohio State EDGE Arvell Reese at No. 5 overall in his final mock draft.
“I haven’t seen many mock drafts having Reese slip this far, and maybe he won’t. But I also remember Leonard Williams inexplicably falling out of the top five in 2015. These things happen,” Schrager wrote. “Edge rusher is not one of the Giants’ holes, but the roster needs good football players. Choosing to add the blue-chip prospect makes sense — especially if New York ends up trading Kayvon Thibodeaux. If the Giants can get Reese, I think they’d take him.”
While the pick feels like a redundant use of premium capital, there could be an argument for drafting Reese as the best player available on the draft board and plugging him in as an off-ball linebacker/edge rusher hybrid.
Arvell Reese is One of the NFL Draft’s Best Overall Prospects
Arvell Reese is far from a standard hand-in-the-dirt defensive end. Standing 6’4″ and weighing 243 pounds, Reese spent much of his 2025 campaign at Ohio State as a versatile off-ball linebacker before terrorizing backfields as a situational edge threat.
His statistical profile is a defensive coordinator’s dream: in 2025, he recorded 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks while posting an elite 87.0 PFF run-defense grade.
By drafting Reese, the Giants wouldn’t necessarily be adding another pure pass rusher; they’d be acquiring a hybrid defender capable of spying mobile quarterbacks and dropping into coverage, where he allowed a respectable 100.0 passer rating in limited targets last fall.
Would the Giants Really Take Another EDGE Top 5?
The controversy surrounding this pick stems from the Giants’ existing wealth on the edge. However, if the Giants view Reese as an elite chess piece who can play more than one position in their defense, he could plug into the lineup. Still, using a top-5 pick on a player who might not have a designated “home” on day one is a risky gamble for a team that still has several big holes to fill on the side of the ball.
The Trade-Down Scenario
Realistically, if the best player available on the Giants’ board is Reese, they will likely work the phones for a trade-down. With teams like the Saints and others reportedly interested in a jump into the top five for a cornerstone pass rusher, the Giants could move back to the 8–15 range, collect an extra second-round pick (or possibly a future first-round pick), and still land a blue-chip secondary piece like LSU CB Mansoor Delane. However, Schrager’s mock suggests that if a trade doesn’t materialize, the Giants are comfortable stacking talent, even at a position of perceived strength.
Ultimately, a selection of Reese would be a bet on pure athleticism and schematic flexibility. In 2025, Reese proved he could succeed in a part-time edge role, producing 23 total pressures while only rushing the passer on about a quarter of his snaps. If the Giants view him more as an off-ball linebacker, they could pair him with Tremaine Edmunds in that role, while rotating Reese along the defensive front as a situational pass rusher.
If John Harbaugh and new DC Dennard Wilson can unlock Reese’s potential as a moveable weapon, the Giants would possess a front seven capable of overwhelming any offensive line in the NFC East. It’s a bold, controversial strategy that ignores immediate needs, but if Schrager is right, the Giants are ready to double down on the edge once again.
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