EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants rookie linebacker Arvell Reese just finished dominating an NFL game last Sunday. His stat sheet was filled with solo tackles, an interception, a forced interception and passes defended against the Arizona Cardinals.
The greatest linebacker of all time, Lawrence Taylor, had said at halftime after being part of a celebration for the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Super Bowl team that Reese was "playing great." That might be the ultimate validation for a linebacker playing for the New York Football Giants in the swamps of East Rutherford.
But although Reese was flattered by the compliment, he wasn't fully content.
"Oh man, that means a lot," Reese said. "With a guy like that in the building, him setting the standard for how that position is supposed to be played back in the day, it definitely means a lot to play a decent game like that."
Decent?! If that's decent, the Giants should look forward to seeing what good or even great translates to on the field.
Reese, the fifth overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2026 NFL draft, said he left some plays out there in the 36-24 win over the Cardinals.
Yet he had nine tackles, a tackle for a loss, three passes defended, an interception and a pressure that forced another interception. It earned him NFC Rookie of the Week honors for Week 4.
The Giants deserve some credit for Reese's early success -- some consider him the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Most of the league projected Reese as an outside linebacker coming out of Ohio State, but the Giants saw him as an inside linebacker.
Why?
"I would answer it this way -- that's what he played. So, it was easy," Giants coach John Harbaugh said. "You watched him on tape and he played it really well. And I could see where they might have said, 'Well, he's young, he hasn't played a lot, he's 20 years old,' and all that, but he played it really well at Ohio State against the best teams in the country in a pretty complicated defensive system that they have over there. So, yeah, it was, to me, the evidence was right there."
Reese said at the NFL scouting combine in March that he was telling teams he's "an outside linebacker/edge." He played 238 snaps as an inside (off-ball) linebacker and 356 as an outside linebacker in his final season at Ohio State.
The reality is that he would have adjusted either way. Fellow inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds sees him as a rare athlete with the skills to excel at both.
Reese told ESPN this week he recalls only two teams telling him he would be an inside linebacker at the NFL level: the Giants and Minnesota Vikings.
"Everyone else pretty much said 'he's an edge guy,'" Reese said.
The uncertainty about his position was the primary question about the defensive standout in the leadup to the draft and likely the top factor in him slipping to the Giants with the fifth pick. Two NFL defensive assistants even told ESPN they weren't sure Reese had a full-time position at this level.
The Giants saw it differently. Outside linebacker/edge was never in consideration for their 3-4 defensive scheme, which employs two starting outside and inside linebackers. They wanted Reese's size and physicality in the middle of their defense as a weakside linebacker.
"It was easy. When you evaluate talent, and I think that Harbaugh did an outstanding job of this, [inside linebackers coach] Frank Bush did an outstanding job of this, when you watched him play at Ohio State, when he was off the ball, he made a huge impact," Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said. "He can read. He can dissect. He's just a natural linebacker."
Reese is proving it at the professional level. He is first in the NFL with 26 solo tackles through four games while playing 99% of the Giants' defensive snaps. His physicality and ability to knock back blockers has been an asset in the run game.
Reese said he has always been a physical player. He sought out hits as a running back when he was growing up. He didn't transition to linebacker until he was in his early teens.
"I was just so raw at running back. I loved it," Reese said. "My brother used to play football. So when I was 3, I was running on the field and playing and all that type of stuff. Tackling them at practice and stuff. I was 3. He was about 7. I was 3 or 4 years old. It has always been in me to run through the bigger ones."
This is the kind of attitude that appeals to Harbaugh, who admitted after the draft to being sold on Reese after seeing him in person at the Ohio State pro day. Harbaugh craves big, fast and physical players. Reese fits that bill.
The young and impressionable Reese (6-4, 243) and the cagey veteran Edmunds (6-4, 251) have been a capable combination this season. Edmunds, a nine-year veteran, has been impressed because it's not often a player with edge rusher skills can also succeed at inside linebacker in the NFL.
"It's not easy to come play standup 'backer because your job in the passing game is the major difference. You have to go back in coverage, cover receivers, cover tight ends, running backs," Edmunds said. "That's probably the major difference. It's definitely not an easy thing to do. Take my hat off to him."
While Reese has had his ups and downs in pass coverage, the Giants are still happy with the early returns. And they have no regrets about where they have him in their defense.
"When we saw him, there was no question from day one that he was a linebacker, and that's how we always viewed him. And you're starting to see it," Wilson said. "Game 4 of his rookie year, you see the maturation already. You see the impact that he's had on his defense. He's a guy that just loves football. He's tenacious about it. He doesn't want to be wrong. He's had some plays that he wished he had back, but he doesn't make those mistakes again.
"And when you see him, he is a force of nature when he's on the football field, and we expect him to keep getting better and better."
