Is Arvell Reese an EDGE or LB? What I learned watching every snap

The consensus top-five NFL Draft pick can do it all -- but where does he actually fit?

JP Acosta

Mar 25, 2026

1:14 pm ET

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6 min read

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There's no question Ohio State's Arvell Reese is one of the best overall players in this draft class. They don't make many athletes with the size (6-foot-4, 241 pounds), speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash) and positional versatility Reese brings. He finished 2025 with 6.5 sacks and 69 total tackles.

However, the history of players with similar versatility traits isn't exactly encouraging in the NFL. Isaiah Simmons is on his third team in six seasons, Zaven Collins hasn't found his footing in Arizona, and plenty of others have struggled to fit at the next level.

While I think Reese is different from those players -- there's a difference between "positionless" and "versatile" -- there are still questions about where he plays in the NFL.

Arvell Reese

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More importantly, there's the financial angle. The fifth-year options and franchise tags for EDGE and off-ball linebacker are the same, but the highest-paid EDGE (Micah Parsons) makes $46.5 million per year -- more than the top two off-ball linebackers (Fred Warner and Roquan Smith) combined. Even average EDGE rushers carry more value financially, so if Reese wants to cash in, playing on the edge could be the way to go.

But does that best align with what he does on the field? Let's dive into the film.

Reese's power pops immediately on the edge

The first thing that stands out when Reese lines up on the edge is how violent he is with his hands. Players who walk down from off-ball linebacker typically don't play as heavy-handed as Reese does. He packs serious power into his punches as both a run defender and pass rusher, generating a ton of force for someone who would be considered undersized on the edge.

You can't block him with a tight end -- he'll obliterate them in the run game. He forklifts players on the edge, using strong pad level to close gaps and funnel backs into traffic. This Illinois tight end stood no chance, getting manhandled into the very gap the running back was attacking.

Watch the Miami tight end's head snap back on contact. There's playing with force, and then there's what Reese showed in his final year at Ohio State. He wrecks the rep with pure power.

This rep against Penn State's left tackle isn't perfect, but the force jumps out. His head is down on contact, but his body angle is excellent. He's in position to stack and shed because he's attacking with leverage, generating force through his body into the tackle's chest so he can make a play.

His pass-rush upside is both exciting -- and incomplete

Where the rubber really meets the road is Reese's potential as a pass rusher. Despite being undersized, he generates serious power. You'd expect an off-ball linebacker moving to the edge to win with speed and bend, but Reese's go-to is converting speed to power and running through tackles.

This is what you would call getting dunked on in the football world:

Here, he faces fellow draft prospect Markel Bell (6-foot-9, 346 pounds) and still turns him with power, prying open the outside corner. The ball comes out before he arrives, but it's a strong rep that shows what he can already do as a pass rusher.

Again, Reese displaces Illinois' right tackle with power, knocking him off his feet. It's not a perfect rep or finish, but it highlights how much force he generates in a 241-pound frame.

Reese also showcases the ability to counter with speed. His pass-rush repertoire is still limited, but the flashes of bend and acceleration are reminiscent of top NFL rushers. Ohio State even schemed one-on-one opportunities, where he would do this to opposing tackles:

While he gets the sack on that rep, another better illustrates his upside. He sells the bull rush, then dips around the outside shoulder and flattens to the quarterback. That's the kind of nuance he needs to build on.

The issue right now is consistency. He doesn't have many reliable counters, which makes sense given his background as an off-ball linebacker who also drops into coverage. If he transitions full-time to the edge, his development as a pass rusher may take time.

He could improve by using his hands more actively — swiping at tackles to create cleaner rush paths and turn more pass rush reps into pressures. Against Wisconsin, for example, the tackle sets to cut off the edge. Reese needs to either club the outside hand or counter inside, but he does neither and loses the rep. A more detailed pass-rush plan will be key going up against NFL tackles.

Another area for growth is stringing moves together when his initial rush stalls. That will come with reps and coaching. The upside is clear, but right now he's a better run defender than pass rusher off the edge.

Reese might be more polished of