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Editor's note: This is Part 15 of 26 in Art Stapleton's New York Giants summer series Q&A
The New York Giants have a Super Bowl winner and possible Hall of Famer at head coach in John Harbaugh, with whom the entire team can strive for a championship standard the franchise has failed to meet for far too long now.
The standing ovation for Harbaugh from the assembled Giants fans inside Beacon Theatre back in May for the team's Town Hall event was only just the beginning.
And Harbaugh, their head coach set to usher in yet another new era for the franchise in its 102nd year, certainly knew how to play to his audience moments later.
With chants of "Cowboys suck" ringing out around him, Harbaugh was asked by a fan if he could promise the Giants were done being kicked around by their NFC rivals and most hated foes: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
That's when Harbaugh with 193 career victories rallied a fan base with a pledge that felt an awful lot like a battle cry he will repeatedly deliver between now and the start of the season.
"I could [not] care less about what's happened last year or the year before that or 10 years before that," Harbaugh said. "All I care about is tomorrow's practice, because if tomorrow's practice is the way it's supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass."
26 QUESTIONS: See our growing list of Giants questions for 2026 season
For now, there are far more questions than answers. But we hope to set the table for the summer and beyond with 26 questions that will define the 2026 Giants season.
The Giants have not had the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year since Lawrence Taylor in 1981.
Abdul Carter was the favorite for last year's award going into the season, but ultimately Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger earned the honors. So where does Reese, the second defensive player selected in April's draft behind the Jets' David Bailey, stand as the oddsmakers stack up this year's contenders?
Bailey and the Buccaneers' Rueben Bain are currently at the top of the list with Reese running as a consensus third choice with Ohio State teammates Sonny Styles (Commanders) and Caleb Downs (Cowboys) and Chiefs rookie Mansoor Delane right behind.
The Giants saw Reese as the best off-ball linebacker in the Class of 2026, the perfect blend of power and speed with a vision of eventually turning him into a defensive weapon that can alter the game in different areas. They also love his potential as a pass rusher, like the rest of the league, but he's here because of who he is now.
What Reese can become is a bonus.
At 20 years old, Reese is just scratching the surface of what he can be. He has the highest ceiling of any player in this class, and there is no question Harbaugh sees him as embodying similar qualities that made many of his defenders during his tenure in Baltimore great.
"Speed and violence," Reese said when the Giants introduced the Ohio State star the day after the draft. [Being Harbaugh's first Giants pick], I think that says a lot about me. I think I’m ready for the challenge.”
As for which of those qualities past Harbaugh defenses were known for, Reese said: “I think both are very important. But just playing defense, you’ve got to be violent."
During pre-draft evaluations, the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Reese drew comparisons to Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who began his pro career in Dallas as an off-ball linebacker. One year after Abdul Carter dealt with the Parsons comps, especially given their Penn State connection, Reese heard them - although he quickly shed them like a potential blocker.
"They’re just comparisons,” he said. “I can’t control that.”
Reese's best fit in the NFL from jump is exactly where the Giants are planning to play him: next to Tremaine Edmunds and in the middle of the defense. He can attack gaps from the weak side, turned loose to chase plays sideline to sideline by using his 4.46 speed. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put him in a position to read and react, then see it and go, and Reese gave nightmares to the opposition.
That's how the Giants will use him, too.
"To me, Arvell Reese was the best player in the draft, and I think a part of that is the hybrid nature of all the ways he can impact your defense," The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler said. "And I think some people see that, and they're a little scared off by, 'Oh well, he doesn't have a true position.' This isn't a tweener. And there's a big difference between being a tweener and then being versatile."
Early returns have been impressive, and Giants teammates are taking notice. It's impossible not to.
"Never seen a linebacker duo like that, just off first glance, but Arvell has been amazing," outside linebacker and defensive captain Brian Burns said, referring to Reese and Tremaine Edmunds. "I always speak to when he said, like, he wants to be seen, not heard, and he's embodying that every day. He don't speak out too much, don't talk back or nothing like that. He just does what he's told, works hard, and it’s showing up on the field and the film, and he's earning the respect of the older guys for sure."
Now we wait until the pads come on, when Reese will be charged with turning the volatile nature of his game into power with knockback reminiscent of a former era. If he can do that, and if the Giants can win some games, expect Reese to be right there in the hunt for what has been an elusive award in team history.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Can Giants' Arvell Reese win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Continue reading...
The New York Giants have a Super Bowl winner and possible Hall of Famer at head coach in John Harbaugh, with whom the entire team can strive for a championship standard the franchise has failed to meet for far too long now.
The standing ovation for Harbaugh from the assembled Giants fans inside Beacon Theatre back in May for the team's Town Hall event was only just the beginning.
And Harbaugh, their head coach set to usher in yet another new era for the franchise in its 102nd year, certainly knew how to play to his audience moments later.
With chants of "Cowboys suck" ringing out around him, Harbaugh was asked by a fan if he could promise the Giants were done being kicked around by their NFC rivals and most hated foes: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
That's when Harbaugh with 193 career victories rallied a fan base with a pledge that felt an awful lot like a battle cry he will repeatedly deliver between now and the start of the season.
"I could [not] care less about what's happened last year or the year before that or 10 years before that," Harbaugh said. "All I care about is tomorrow's practice, because if tomorrow's practice is the way it's supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass."
26 QUESTIONS: See our growing list of Giants questions for 2026 season
For now, there are far more questions than answers. But we hope to set the table for the summer and beyond with 26 questions that will define the 2026 Giants season.
Question #15: Can Arvell Reese win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?
The Giants have not had the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year since Lawrence Taylor in 1981.
Abdul Carter was the favorite for last year's award going into the season, but ultimately Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger earned the honors. So where does Reese, the second defensive player selected in April's draft behind the Jets' David Bailey, stand as the oddsmakers stack up this year's contenders?
Bailey and the Buccaneers' Rueben Bain are currently at the top of the list with Reese running as a consensus third choice with Ohio State teammates Sonny Styles (Commanders) and Caleb Downs (Cowboys) and Chiefs rookie Mansoor Delane right behind.
The Giants saw Reese as the best off-ball linebacker in the Class of 2026, the perfect blend of power and speed with a vision of eventually turning him into a defensive weapon that can alter the game in different areas. They also love his potential as a pass rusher, like the rest of the league, but he's here because of who he is now.
What Reese can become is a bonus.
At 20 years old, Reese is just scratching the surface of what he can be. He has the highest ceiling of any player in this class, and there is no question Harbaugh sees him as embodying similar qualities that made many of his defenders during his tenure in Baltimore great.
"Speed and violence," Reese said when the Giants introduced the Ohio State star the day after the draft. [Being Harbaugh's first Giants pick], I think that says a lot about me. I think I’m ready for the challenge.”
As for which of those qualities past Harbaugh defenses were known for, Reese said: “I think both are very important. But just playing defense, you’ve got to be violent."
During pre-draft evaluations, the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Reese drew comparisons to Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who began his pro career in Dallas as an off-ball linebacker. One year after Abdul Carter dealt with the Parsons comps, especially given their Penn State connection, Reese heard them - although he quickly shed them like a potential blocker.
"They’re just comparisons,” he said. “I can’t control that.”
Reese's best fit in the NFL from jump is exactly where the Giants are planning to play him: next to Tremaine Edmunds and in the middle of the defense. He can attack gaps from the weak side, turned loose to chase plays sideline to sideline by using his 4.46 speed. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put him in a position to read and react, then see it and go, and Reese gave nightmares to the opposition.
That's how the Giants will use him, too.
"To me, Arvell Reese was the best player in the draft, and I think a part of that is the hybrid nature of all the ways he can impact your defense," The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler said. "And I think some people see that, and they're a little scared off by, 'Oh well, he doesn't have a true position.' This isn't a tweener. And there's a big difference between being a tweener and then being versatile."
What Arvell Reese showed on the field in spring workouts
- Reese's speed is incredibly unique given the position he plays, especially for his size. On one play that stood out during team drills, he was matched up man-to-man on running back Tyrone Tracy, who lined up in the slot and crossed the formation in motion. Reese traveled with him and was there step for step, unfazed by the assignment pre- and post-snap.
- Awareness and explosiveness. He always seemed to be in the right position whether that's in coverage or in the run game. And that burst - wow - in one practice, he came late on a blitz around the left side and closed on quarterback Jaxson Dart for a would-be sack, forcing the coaches to blow the play dead.
- Freakish athleticism. Reese got the assignment in coverage against tight ends such as Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson, and he's stuck with them in both man and zones. His instincts and spatial awareness in different schematic situations have stood out.
Early returns have been impressive, and Giants teammates are taking notice. It's impossible not to.
"Never seen a linebacker duo like that, just off first glance, but Arvell has been amazing," outside linebacker and defensive captain Brian Burns said, referring to Reese and Tremaine Edmunds. "I always speak to when he said, like, he wants to be seen, not heard, and he's embodying that every day. He don't speak out too much, don't talk back or nothing like that. He just does what he's told, works hard, and it’s showing up on the field and the film, and he's earning the respect of the older guys for sure."
Now we wait until the pads come on, when Reese will be charged with turning the volatile nature of his game into power with knockback reminiscent of a former era. If he can do that, and if the Giants can win some games, expect Reese to be right there in the hunt for what has been an elusive award in team history.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Can Giants' Arvell Reese win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Continue reading...
