Arvell Reese

● Tall, developed frame, with above-average length and sculpted build ● Twitched-up athlete, especially for his size — teammates were buzzing about his freaky talent since he enrolled ● Explosive in both movements and ability to generate power ● Shows impressive burst and flexibility as pass rusher, which allows him to win high side and flatten to the quarterback ● Able to forklift 320-pound blockers as blitzer from depth ● Plays balanced through contact in all phases ● Violent hands as take-on player; uses his long arms to stay detached on the edges ● Hard to find missed or overrun tackle attempts on 2025 tape ● Fluid change-of-direction skills in space to operate as spy or cover man ● Learned how to study and prepare playing behind (and rooming with) Cody Simon ● NFL scouts say Ohio State coaches praise his competitive toughness and the way he matured behind the scenes ● Versatile experience — spent time at edge rusher and multiple linebacker positions

● Slender for an edge; doesn’t have ideal mass for NFL trench work ● Pass rush is based on athleticism and feel more than a strategic rush plan ● Play action and misdirection can create slight pause in his process ● Competitive and fluid in coverage but needs more man-to-man reps against backs and TEs ● Needs to develop awareness as a hole player to react with better decisiveness ● Only one season as a full-time starter (fewer than 1,000 career defensive snaps) ● Concussion on kickoff coverage (Sept. 2023) and missed five games as a freshman

A starter for one-and-a-half years at Ohio State, Reese was a hybrid outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s multiple fronts. After spending time at edge defender and Mike linebacker as an underclassman, he became a joker defender in Patricia’s scheme in 2025. That role primarily asked him to be stacked, with some reps walked out and some on the edge. Box-score scouts will be unimpressed by his production, but his stats don’t accurately reflect his on-field impact, because he was primarily used as a spy and read player. Reese emerged as the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and became the first consensus All-America linebacker at Ohio State since James Laurinaitis (Reese’s position coach for the Buckeyes). An impressive height/weight/speed athlete, Reese — who is also one of the youngest prospects in the draft class — was asked to play a blend of multiple positions, which showcased his vast tools for NFL scouts. He is explosive from his spot and has exceptional closing burst to cover ground in a blink. He can create short corners as a rusher, but will need time to become more of a pass-rush technician, in terms of setting up and sequencing different moves. He uses his length to anchor as an edge setter and skillfully deconstructs blocks with elusive movements or violent, well-timed hands. Overall, Reese has the dynamic talent to play a variety of different linebacker or edge roles at a high level, although his ceiling as a pass rusher is his most valuable asset. It is hard to find versatile defenders with his caliber of explosive tools.