🏈 Who Will Draft Arvell Reese? 2026 NFL Draft Projection, Scouting Report & Team Prediction

Ohio State has yet another star who's expected to become the ninth Buckeye selected in the top five in the past decade, but who will draft Arvell Reese?

The New York Jets (No. 2) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 3) are the biggest favorites to select Reese, according to prediction market apps. The linebacker/edge rusher hybrid is one of the few premier talents in the 2026 NFL Draft, and despite starting for just one season, Reese is likely to be the first Ohio State product to crack the top three since Chase Young in 2020.

I've spent the past year watching film and grading every top prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Below, I break down Reese's draft profile, including his biggest strengths and weaknesses; my full scouting report and draft grade on Reese; and which team I expect to draft the former Buckeyes star in the first round on Thursday, April 23, as part of our 2026 NFL Draft predictions. 

📝 Arvell Reese draft profile

For more on the NFL draft, check out the 2026 NFL Draft odds.

Arvell Reese strengths

Playing a joker role (hybrid linebacker-edge) in Matt Patricia's defense, Reese only had 119 pass rush opportunities this past season and logged just three games with double-digit pass rush reps. Still, the potential jumps off the tape. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has an explosive first step that helps him translate speed to power as a pass rusher, along with enough bend to win the corner. 

With a 92nd percentile 10-yard split (1.58), it's not hard to see how Reese will make an immediate impact hunting QBs at the next level. However, his run defending might help him make noise even sooner. Reese is a twitchy athlete who can chase down plays from the backside, and he has the contact balance to take on and shed linemen or set a strong edge.

Although it takes some projection with Reese, he has the makeup of a Pro Bowl edge player in the NFL - athleticism, power, motor - who can also play off-ball and be competent in coverage thanks to his exceptional change-of-direction skills.

Arvell Reese weaknesses

The most glaring "weakness" for Reese isn't really a weakness, per se, but more of a question about what he'll look like in the NFL. He was not a starter as a sophomore on Ohio State's 2024 championship team, playing 91.2% of his snaps that season as an off-ball linebacker before stepping into a starting role this past season as a joker (hybrid linebacker-edge).

With Patricia taking over as defensive coordinator in 2025-26, Reese played 50.3% of his snaps as an edge player and paid it off with a solid 13% pass rush win rate. The athletic traits were on full display, but the production wasn't near that of other top pass rushers in this class (David Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr.), and his pass rush repertoire will need development in the NFL.

Arvell Reese scouting report

After announcing himself as a defensive weapon in Week 1 of the college football season with a breakout performance against Texas (23.1% pass rush win rate, five pressures, one sack), Reese jumped from a potential top-50 prospect to a likely first-round prospect in the eyes of many draftniks.

From there, he ascended quickly, with 22 pressures and 6.5 sacks in his first eight games while only rushing the passer part-time. And while his production dipped down the stretch, it had more to do with how he was being deployed than how he was playing.

Similar to Green Bay Packers All-Pro Micah Parsons, Reese projects to be a full-time edge rusher in the NFL after technically being an off-ball linebacker at Ohio State. His pass rush production this past season is similar to Parsons' during his last year at Penn State (26 pressures, 5 sacks, 17.8% pass rush win rate).

And like Parsons, Reese can play anywhere in the front seven that his defensive coordinator sees fit - whether that's as a true edge, spying mobile QBs to take advantage of his ridiculous range, lining him up over the A-gap as a blitzer, or playing him off-ball and asking him to drop into coverage.

Reese has the highest ceiling of any player in this draft class and can develop into a double-digit sack pass rusher as a full-time edge or a Pro Bowl hybrid player in the same vein as Willie McGinest.

Arvell Reese draft grade

• 7.40 (top-10 pick)

🔮 Who will draft Arvell Reese?

Prediction market via Kalshi. You can use our Kalshi promo code for a $10 bonus by signing up today. Market subject to change.  

Arvell Reese draft projection & landing spots

With it being a foregone conclusion that the Las Vegas Raiders will select Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, the New York Jets are the overwhelming favorite to take Reese at No. 2 with a 58% chance at Kalshi as of this writing.

Given the Jets' defensive woes this past season and the backgrounds of their key decision-makers (GM Darren Mougey, head coach Aaron Glenn), it's hard to imagine New York passing on the highest upside defender in the class. Thanks to New York's offseason additions in the front seven (Demario Davis, Joseph Ossai), Reese could be deployed in creative ways while predominantly rushing the passer.

If the Jets do pass on him for Bailey or another defender, the Arizona Cardinals (37% chance) would likely jump at the opportunity to take him. Arizona's defense is full of holes and desperate for a blue-chip pass rusher. Plus, GM Monti Ossenfort came up in the New England Patriots' front office, so he knows the value of a hybrid front-seven player.

Prediction: Arvell Reese to the Jets

Reese is arguably the best player in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with there not being another QB worth taking in the first round after Mendoza's off the board, New York will have a hard time passing on a 20-year-old freak athlete with Pro Bowl pass rushing traits.

Bill Parcells is Glenn's mentor, and Parcells had his biggest successes in the Big Apple thanks to a linebacker who terrorized opposing QBs (Lawrence Taylor), so you can imagine the Jets would love to have a player like Reese.

With his versatility, Reese could be a situational pass rusher who plays off-ball on run downs early on or start full-time on the edge.