EAST RUTHERFORD – Arvell Reese has wasted no time earning the respect of the New York Giants.
The way the rookie linebacker carries himself on the football field is only part of that.
When the Giants’ No. 5 overall pick offered up his mission statement for how he planned on fitting in this spring, the words spoke volumes about his presence.
With a defined purpose, the 20-year-old Reese sent a message to anyone willing to listen and all those ready to judge his impact.
“I want to show the team right away that I’m one of those guys that would rather be seen and not heard,” Reese said. “Especially as a rookie, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to know what you’re doing on the field before you say what you’re about.”
Even the grandest of plans the Giants harbored for the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the first of the John Harbaugh era, did not include the best non-quarterback on their board.
Was this overkill for the Giants, considering they already have edge players Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the roster? Not in the least, given the fact that the Giants see Reese as a starting inside linebacker, their WILL, with a vision of eventually turning him into a defensive weapon that can alter the game in different areas.
The Giants saw him as the best off-ball linebacker in the Class of 2026, the perfect blend of power and speed. They also love his potential as a pass rusher, but he’s here because of who he is now. What Reese can become is a bonus.
Reese is just scratching the surface of what he can be. He was considered to have the highest ceiling of any player in the Class of 2026, and Reese is locked in as a franchise cornerstone after signing his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie deal worth $47.8 million, including a signing bonus of $31.2 million, plus a fifth-year team option, sources told NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Early returns have been impressive, and Giants teammates are taking notice. It’s impossible not to.
“Never seen a linebacker duo like that, just off first glance, but Arvell has been amazing,” outside linebacker and defensive captain Brian Burns said, referring to Reese and Tremaine Edmunds. “I always speak to when he said, like, he wants to be seen, not heard, and he’s embodying that every day. He don’t speak out too much, don’t talk back or nothing like that. He just does what he’s told, works hard, and it’s showing up on the field and the film, and he’s earning the respect of the older guys for sure.”
Burns paused before adding with a laugh: “If I was [Giants quarterback Jaxson] Dart – yeah, I’d be nervous.”
Kidding aside, with Reese next to Edmunds at inside linebacker, the middle of the Giants’ defense is – as Burns noted after Monday’s minicamp practice – “scary as hell.”
, and there is no question Harbaugh sees him as embodying similar qualities that made many of his defenders during his tenure in Baltimore great.
“Speed and violence,” Reese said. “[Being Harbaugh’s first Giants pick], I think that says a lot about me. I think I’m ready for the challenge.”
As for which of those qualities past Harbaugh defenses were known for, Reese said: “I think both are very important. But just playing defense, you’ve got to be violent.”
What Arvell Reese has shown on the field so far
- Reese’s speed is incredibly unique given the position he plays, especially for someone who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 243 pounds. On one play in a team period last week, he was matched up man-to-man on Tyrone Tracy, who lined up in the slot and crossed the formation in motion. Reese traveled with him and was seemingly there step for step.
- Awareness and explosiveness. He always seems to be in the right position whether that’s in coverage or in the run game. And that burst – wow – he came late on a blitz around the left side and closed on Dart for a would-be sack, forcing the coaches to blow the play dead.
- Freakish athleticism. Reese has gotten the assignment in coverage against tight ends such as Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson, and he’s stuck with them in both man and zones. His instincts and spatial awareness in different schematic situations have stood out.
During pre-draft evaluations, the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Reese drew comparisons to Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who began his pro career in Dallas as an off ball linebacker.
He can attack gaps from the weak side, turn loose to chase plays sideline to sideline by using his 4.46 speed. Reese has an ability to show something pre-snap and then another thing post-snap, lining up on the edge one play, but then as a stacked linebacker at the next.
“To me, Arvell Reese was the best player in the draft, and I think a part of that is the hybrid nature of all the ways he can impact your defense,” The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler told NorthJersey.com and The Record back in March. “And I think some people see that, and they’re a little scared off by, ‘Oh well, he doesn’t have a true position.’ This isn’t a tweener. And there’s a big difference between being a tweener and then being versatile, being able to do a lot of different things.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Arvell Reese is earning NY Giants’ respect one play at a time
