Experts grade New York Giants 2026 Draft Class
Round 1, Pick 5 – Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
“The Giants just became the scariest edge-rushing group in the NFL and truthfully it’s not even close. Their third down packages are going to be a true sprint to the quarterback. Reese has special play strength for someone with 4.46 speed. And he’s only scratching the surface at 20-years old.”
“The Giants likely can’t believe their luck. Reese has the most upside of any defensive player in this class, and he’s versatile and explosive. When you combine him with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and perhaps Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants now have a ferocious pass rush. And, as we saw a generation ago, that recipe makes Super Bowl jambalaya.
“Reese (6-4, 241) conjures up comparisons with former Penn State (and present Green Bay Packers) move rusher Micah Parsons — and rightly so. Both had been deadly pass-rushing linebackers in school and projected as edge defenders within the NFL. In his first season as a starter at Ohio State, Reese was a consensus first-team All-American and racked up 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 69 complete tackles.”
“New York is amassing one heck of a entrance seven. With Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibadeaux and Abdul Carter up entrance, the Giants now have Reese alongside Tremaine Edmunds on the second stage. For new coach John Harbaugh, he has his Roquan Smith in East Rutherford.”
“The draft could not have fallen any extra completely for the Giants at this level, with a few shock picks resulting in an Arvell Reese mini-slide. New York lands my top-ranked participant right here in Reese, a hyperversatile playmaker who could make an affect from each the off-ball linebacker and edge rusher spots. The Giants should show they will totally maximize Reese’s talent set—and meaning determining how one can cut up his time on the sting and off the ball—however with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter already on the roster, New York’s teaching workers will not need to drive Reese into doing just one factor. Reese brings some potential variance due to his tweener profile, however he has as a lot upside as any participant on this draft.
“This is how you get value in the top five of the draft. Reese easily could’ve been the second overall pick and nobody would have batted an eye. To get him here is a bit further than most people thought he would fail, and the Giants need to replenish front seven talent after trading away Dexter Lawrence. Reese can play any linebacker or edge rusher moving forward at a high level.”
“The Giants take advantage of Reese falling a few spots after Bailey to get the most impactful defender available with Love and Tate off the board. Reese is a versatile weapon in the Micah Parsons vein who has shown some pass-rush juice to go with his lateral range playmaking. He gives them a little more ground coverage than former college teammate Sonny Styles.”
“The New York Giants should be thrilled, because Arvell Reese was almost universally seen as a top-three pick throughout the lead up to this event. Clearly, head coach John Harbaugh brought a little bit of the Baltimore Ravens with him to New York, because his previous team was known for getting great value on the regular.”
“This is a fascinating selection for the Giants, as Reese gives the Giants as formidable a trio of edge rushers as there is in the NFL, teaming, of course, with recent top-10 selections Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Reese’s ability to play the off-ball linebacker position, as well as project as a dynamic pass-rusher gives head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson an awful lot of flexibility. And unlike some of the coaches who passed on Reese, Harbaugh has the security to give him time to develop.”
“Reese was the top-ranked overall analyst player on many’s big boards (including ours). He can detonate blockers and ball carriers alike, which will surely come in handy for bolstering the league’s 31st-ranked run defense. The pass-rush plan might take some time to coalesce, but the Micah Parsons comparisons – while lofty – are not unfounded.”
“In today’s NFL the most important spot on the field remains seven yards behind the center. You need a quarterback that can throw from there, linemen that can protect that spot, and defenders that can attack it. The Giants now have some talent on their defense front with the addition of Arvell Reese. There will be some refinement needed if he moves to the edge full-time, and he can still offer some athleticism on the second level if the Giants want to use him in an off-ball role, but they have given themselves some options here at No. 5, and I love when a team seems to have a plan.”
No. 1 Best Value Pick of the First Round – Arvell Reese
“Long viewed as a possible option for the Jets at No. 2, Reese gave the Giants a top-of-the-board talent at No. 5 overall. New York did not have to force the pick, which made this a clean best-player-available swing on a front-seven chess piece with real positional flexibility — one who can slot in alongside Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“At 241 kilos, Reese ran a 4.46 40 and reached 22.58 mph on the NFL Scouting Combine, based on NGS monitoring knowledge, the second-fastest prime velocity amongst edge rushers on this 12 months’s class. That velocity confirmed up in motion drills, too: He hit 15.01 mph within the run-the-hoop drill and 14.20 mph within the defensive position pass-rush drill — each top-two marks amongst edge defenders. Pair that athletic profile with an 84 manufacturing rating and a 20-plus stress charge in his lone season as a starter (based on PFF), and it’s simple to see why the Giants seen him as a high-end worth decide with instant sub-package juice and long-term upside.”
Most-improved units after Round 1: New York Giants linebackers
“Amid wide-ranging predictions with their two top-10 picks, the Giants opted for a pair of dependable, proficient gamers in Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. In explicit, New York’s prime rookie figures to considerably overhaul their linebacker room…
“While Reese was projected by some as an NFL-level edge rusher, his off-ball skillset — highlighted by his prodigious closing speed, ability to read and react and block deconstruction — will fit right in for John Harbaugh’s defense, which is already stacked at edge defender. More specifically, Reese’s 86.5 run-defense grade and 6% missed tackle rate give him high upside at linebacker.”
“Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.”
“With Tate off the board, the Giants select a dynamic athlete in Reese who possesses the speed, explosiveness and power to win. He should fit seamlessly into Dennard Wilson’s defense alongside Brian Burns, making the Giants’ front an absolute headache for quarterbacks. I expect the hybrid playmaker to be a force from the jump in New York.”
“Reese doesn’t have much experience working as a traditional edge rusher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t impact the quarterback as a pass rusher, even if he ends up playing primarily off-ball for New York. Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.”
