After a brutal 2025 NFL season, the New York Jets will look to completely revamp the franchise’s current roster this offseason.

General manager Darren Mougey’s fire sale at the 2025 NFL trade deadline resulted in the team landing an additional first-round pick in the upcoming draft in a deal that sent star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.

Now, with multiple picks on the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jets’ front office is in a perfect spot to make some noise heading into next season.

With Mougey also trading veteran defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, it’s clear that the struggling organization must rebuild their defensive unit. Luckily, New York is in a perfect spot to land one of the best pass rushers from the college level in 2025, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.

Despite his lack of production throughout his time with the Buckeyes, Reese has quickly managed to become one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class.

Reese broke out on the scene during Ohio State’s magical run in the 2024 College Football Playoffs, playing behind the likes of linebackers Cody Simmon and Sonny Styles. Playing as a rotational linebacker in his junior year, Reese recorded 43 tackles and a half of a sack in his 13 games with the Buckeyes.

Luckily for the talented defender, he would eventually become a key starter for Ohio State in his final year with the program.

Under the guidance of former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Reese hit the ground running to kick off the 2025 college football season. In his 14 games played this past year, Reese tallied 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks, which included a nine-tackle, 1.5 sack performance against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

At 6-foot-4, 248 lbs., Reese is truly a jack-of-all-trades defender. While he primarily played as a linebacker for the Buckeyes, his combination of size and quickness off the line of scrimmage allows him to be a lethal pass rusher.

In addition to his ability to rush the passer on defense, Reese also excelled against the run and when dropping back in coverage, making him a potential Swiss-Army Knife in the NFL.

However, his lack of experience as a true pass rusher could be a concern for teams in the draft, as his role at the NFL level remains unclear. But considering how poorly the Jets’ defense will look in the future, Reese is seemingly a no-brainer at the No. 2 pick due to his incredibly unique skill set.

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