Giants edge rusher Arvell Reese impresses John Harbaugh at rookie minicamp

From the minute he was drafted, Arvell Reese expected the Giants to use him in unique ways as a linebacker. It helped that felt like second nature at Ohio State.

The rookie, drafted fifth overall, played inside linebacker and edge rusher for Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The expectation was thrive no matter where he lined up and Reese took on the challenge.

“He put me in those roles and it was on me to pick it up and learn multiple roles,” Reese said of Patricia at Giants’ rookie minicamp Saturday. “Just being with us every day and teaching me stuff specifically, pretty much everything I did on the field was what he instilled in me.”

Sounds like it was the perfect pro education, right?

“No,” Reese said succinctly.

Even if he didn’t feel that way, Reese will be set up in a similar way for the Giants. It’s part of a revamping of their inside linebacking corps that began with waiving captain Bobby Okereke and signing Tremaine Edmunds.

Minicamp showed what Reese is capable of. During 11-on-11 drills, Reese mostly played inside linebacker, the position that coach John Harbaugh will start him at. Reese spent time both rushing the passer and dropping in coverage.

Through the first two days of minicamp, Harbaugh said Reese rarely missed an assignment and picked up things very quickly. It fits what Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Reese did well. Keeping the game simple.

“The more that he plays and the more he learns what they want to do with him, the better he’s gonna be,” Day said on a Zoom call with reporters. “I think of all the guys in the draft, I still think he might have the biggest ceiling because of just his talent and where he’s going.”

Reese will line up at different positions depending on the play, Harbaugh said. His physical ability and intelligence makes him a valuable tool in defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s scheme. It also adds another weapon alongside linebackers Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

“You’re going to see him lined up at what might look like defensive end position, but it’s actually the WIL (linebacker) by call,” Harbaugh said. “That’s where he goes based on the way the defense is organized. So I don’t know if we’re cheating or not but you’ll see him playing over the guard sometimes.”

It’s a similar plan to how the Giants used Carter last season. Carter played most of his rookie snaps at edge rusher but sometimes he’d line up on the interior.

Reese could be used in the same fashion. Not everyone understood that at first, including Reese’s future teammate Malik Nabers.

On a livestream with Bleacher Report during the draft, Nabers praised Reese as a player but was confused the Giants took another pass rusher after drafting Carter. Harbaugh said he met with Nabers the next day and explained how Reese would be used effectively without overlapping Carter’s role.

The misunderstanding was cleared up and Nabers was among the first players to greet Reese at the facility. Once Reese took the field this weekend, he further convinced the Giants they made the right call.

“He's six-four plus, 240-some pounds, and yet he moves like a smaller guy,” Harbaugh said. “He moves his feet. He can flip his hips, very natural looking mover off the ball, which was something we saw on tape, but now we saw it in practice field so we feel better about it.”

Assistant general manager Brandon Brown added that Reese pairs up nicely to Edmunds, who’s also 6-4. When both drop in coverage, their size makes it easier for the Giants to defend passes in the middle of the field.

Add in Reese’s ability to rush the passer, it fits Wilson’s scheme of being fast, disruptive and violent.

“He gives us versatility,” Brown said. “Allows us to create chaos and just created matchups that are in our favor from the defensive standpoint.”

For Reese, it’s just embracing whatever is needed. In college, it wasn’t unusual to line up at different spots. The expectations, however, are amplified in the NFL and Reese knows it will require more work from him to meet what the Giants want.

At the same time, he think it’ll be exciting being a Swiss army knife of sorts. Just as the Giants are excited to see how he’ll fit being part of their present and future.

“It’s always fun to me, especially when I think about all those different roles I could play,” Reese said. “Right now, we’re only two days in. I’ve only been introduced a little bit to the defense. I’m looking forward to that tough.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.