Giants Have a New Star Proving a Whole Lot of People Wrong

The New York Giants topped the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 36-24 on Sunday thanks much in part to a terrific defensive effort down the stretch.

The Cardinals dropped 14 points on the Giants in the first quarter, but New York largely held Arizona in check the rest of the way, and that was without Brian Burns.

So, who was the star of the show for the Giants defense in Week 4? Without question, it was rookie linebacker Arvell Reese.

To say that Reese was everywhere on Sunday would be putting it lightly.

The No. 5 overall pick racked up nine tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and three passes defended in the affair.

Reese had struggled a bit in coverage early on this season, but he completely flipped the script against the Cardinals, looking every bit the freakish athlete many touted at Ohio State.

Of course, athleticism was never the issue with Reese. It was whether or not he would put it all together on the NFL level and whether or not he was a fit in New York.

I'll openly admit that I had questions about the Giants' decision to use their top draft choice on Reese back in April, especially when they had so many other needs.

While I loved Reese's physical tools, I wasn't sure if he would be the best choice for a New York squad that already had plenty of similar talent.

But Reese has been very different thus far.

The Giants drafted Reese for the purpose of playing inside linebacker, and he has formed quite a duo with Tremaine Edmunds at the position.

And now, with Burns out for the season due to a torn ACL, Reese's presence becomes that much more important.

New York is using Reese like a defensive chess piece, and I wouldn't be surprised if he starts being used more as an extra pass rusher in certain situations now that Burns is on the shelf.

For now, though, Reese is being tasked with a linebacker's role, and over the last couple of weeks, he has accumulated a combined 22 tackles in the process. In fact, all nine of his stops versus Arizona were solo tackles, and he leads the NFL with 27 solos this season.

I'm not surprised Reese looked a bit messy early on. He didn't even get a ton of experience at Ohio State, and now, he is being asked to fill an immediate starting role in the pros.

But the 21-year-old has adjusted remarkably fast, and he already seems to be establishing himself as one of the top players on the Giants' defense.