John Harbaugh has something to prove going into his inaugural season with the New York Giants, and he’s already well on his way to doing it.
Harbaugh’s first notable test with this franchise was the 2026 NFL Draft. It was imperative that Harbaugh, who is running the Giants’ football operations, select the right players to fit the team’s needs to bounce back from its 4-13 season.
Plus, after sending tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, the team had defensive holes to fill. While its main focus for the draft was defense, the Giants also factored in improving the secondary and finding targets for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
So, Harbaugh knocked it out of the park when he selected Arvell Reese as their fifth overall selection. Reese is a linebacker, but he’s also extremely versatile, and the Giants will be able to utilize him in some creative roles. Reese also offers an aggressive, downhill style of playing that fits in well with the team.
Giants’ John Harbaugh made a statement with selection of Arvell Reese
One NFL analyst even thinks Reese is good enough to be named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Ben Solak of ESPN has released a feature with his take on the picks from the draft, and he names Reese as one of his favorites.
“It’s harder for an off-ball linebacker to win this award than you might expect — only three have since 2009, when Brian Cushing finished a four-year run of stack linebackers bringing home the hardware,” Solak notes in the piece. “We simply value pass rushing far more than tackle collection in the modern NFL … but that might be good news for Reese, who figures to grab more pass rush reps (and sacks) than the average off-ball linebacker. The more we learn about the Giants’ plan for him, the easier he’ll be to predict. Right now, he’s mostly theory.”
Harbaugh is making a statement with his selection of Reese. Even though it was expected, that doesn’t take away from it being the right move for the Giants.