NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid suggests that he would personally feel more comfortable with Arvell Reese as an off-ball linebacker
NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid is taking a different approach than most on Ohio State's Arvell Reese.
The consensus around Reese as a prospect is that he is going to be an edge rusher at the next level. He is projected to be the second overall pick in the draft because of it. However, Reid thinks about Reese a little differently.
On the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Reid said that he would actually feel more "comfortable" with Reese as an off-ball linebacker than a pass rusher. That is the opposite of what many believe about Reese.
Reese is a very fascinating prospect for this year's draft because he entered the 2025 season as a pretty much unknown prospect. He spent his first two seasons in Columbus as a special teams star, and then he took the College Football world by storm in 2025.
Reese finished the season with 69 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks on the year. He showed that he has an unbelievable motor and an incredible match of strength and speed on the defensive side of the ball.
What stood out the most in Reese's game is just how natural he is in rushing the quarterback. While he is a little bit undersized to be rushing the quarterback every single snap, he still showed that no matter how big or skilled the offensive linemen are, he can go right through them.
Now, that isn't to say that he is a bad off-ball linebacker. This is a 1A and 1B conversation as he is so skilled at both positions.
At 6-foot-4, 243 lbs., he will find it very hard to be an every-week, every-down pass rusher in the NFL. He is about 20 pounds away from what he could put on easily at the next level.
If Reese goes at pick No. 2 to the Jets, they aren't drafting him to be an off-ball linebacker. They would be using that much draft capital on him to be a game-changing pass rusher.
If they are drafting for an off-ball linebacker, you take Sonny Styles at the position instead.
Wherever Reese is drafted and wherever he plays, he is going to be an impactful player for any NFL team. For some, they would prefer him as an off-ball linebacker.
For me, he is a pass rusher.
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