Arvell Reese is a rare athlete whose 2024 production belies his potential and what appears to be a massive breakout campaign in 2025. He plays with a natural understanding of leverage both on the line and in the box, where he is typically SAM. Reese has savage hands, with plus grip and twitch, but most importantly, he has a reflexive habit of alternating constant strikes. A rep from Reese unfolds like a boxing match, and he routinely has 320lb+ OL off balance. For an inside linebacker who played most of his Ohio State career on special teams, he has a nuanced idea of playing the rush game, and one that seems founded in 2-gap principles. That is to say, he frequently feigns into a gap, but is really using that move to take central control of his blocker, then move to his next target. In pure edge terms, he doesn’t have an artist’s palette of rush hues, but it’s hard to imagine he won’t develop more. His tape shows a good NCAA level diagnostic for such an aggressive player. And while there are moments on film where he is taken out of a play, there are more bright spots where he is not fooled by misdirection. Playing pass protection from the box is a mixed bag, where Reese looks uncomfortable trapped between being proactive and reactive, and this is always a hurdle for players looking to the NFL as off-the-ball threats. Burt given his overall profile he has multiple potential outcomes beyond inside linebacker.
Reese has tape athletics that outshine his development, which is considerable. He evidences boxer’s balance. He’s light on his feet, but also explosive. There is, I think, an innate kind of coordination to how he moves, specifically, his hands and feet seem to tie into the same rhythm effortlessly. Most impressive is his frame and the substantial power he generates from it. He is listed at 6’4″ and plays every inch of the length. And his limbs generate megatons of force. Few large ends displace offensive lineman as well as Reese. To boot, he is a visibly fast linear athlete, with the kind of flexibility to play around the pocket. If there is a short area, his overall weight ratio is low for the NFL at the edge, and his north to south transitional speeds, in and out of backpedal are 1/4 as good as his other athletic traits.
How far Reese rises is a question mark. He opened the season with a red chip, but if his production continues he will own a blue chip. And finally, he might even end up being the first Ohio State defender off the board if those chips fall in the right places. Tape like Reese’s doesn’t show every year.
prospect comps •
system fit • under front as a SAM, Will or Sam in odd front base, EDGE in a NASCAR EVEN front
