Alexander Wilson
The New York Giants might have a flat-out monster on their hands in Arvell Reese, and the more you think about how he fits into Dennard Wilson’s defense, the easier it gets to see a real rookie breakout coming. I would not dismiss the idea of Reese becoming an NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate if the Giants use him the right way.
And honestly, that Kyrie Irving comp tells you more than people think.
When Kurt Benkert shared on X that Reese said Kyrie was his basketball comp, it sounded funny for about two seconds, but then it started making sense. Kyrie is all balance, twitch, body control, sudden change of direction, and the ability to make people miss in tight space. For a linebacker, that is exactly the kind of movement profile you want if you are going to play in traffic, scrape laterally, close downhill, and still have enough burst to become a problem as a blitzer.
Reese fits what the Giants want to become on defense
Wilson already laid out what matters most in his defense when he said you need “very good linebackers” to stop the run and hold up in the pass game. The Giants did not draft Reese fifth overall to just stand in one spot and clean up tackles five yards downfield. They drafted him because he gives them range, violence, and a whole lot of schematic flexibility.
The role is already there for him. John Harbaugh said after the draft that Reese will line up at inside backer next to Tremaine Edmunds, but also move through the A, B, C, and D gaps and come off the edge. That is exactly where this gets dangerous.
Reese is not some traditional stack-and-shed linebacker who wins with one speed. At Ohio State, he finished 2025 with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups. He was used as a chess piece there, and the Giants clearly want to keep that part of his game alive instead of boxing him in.
Tremaine Edmunds can make life easier on him
This is the part I really like. Reese does not have to walk in and be the traffic cop on Day 1. Edmunds can handle a lot of that heavier interior responsibility, which should let Reese play faster and freer.
That matters because Reese’s best football is probably going to show up when he is attacking, not when he is overthinking. Let him trigger downhill. Let him chase sideline to sideline. Let him mug a gap before bailing out. Let him blitz off movement. Let him play like a weapon instead of a traffic cone.
That is also why the Giants adding DJ Reader changes the whole front. If Reader and the defensive line keep bodies off the linebackers, Reese is going to have clean runways to the football. That is when his speed starts taking over.
The Rookie of the Year path is there
Reese also has the kind of athletic profile that creates splash plays, and splash plays are what drive rookie awards. He ran an official 4.46-second 40 at the combine, which is absurd movement for a 6-foot-4, 243-pound linebacker. That kind of range shows up fast when a coordinator is willing to move a player around and manufacture matchups.
If Wilson’s defense looks the way it is supposed to look, aggressive, unpredictable, and attacking, Reese should have every chance to rack up tackles, pressure, and the kind of impact moments that get people talking by October.
That is why I keep coming back to the same thing. The Giants did not just draft a talented linebacker, they drafted a modern defensive piece who can erase space and create problems all over the formation. If that clicks quickly, Reese is going to be a whole lot more than just another rookie starter. He is going to look like one of the best bets on the roster to become a star in a hurry.
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