It seems like Arvel Reese has no idea about the roster he will be joining after becoming the New York Giants' first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Thursday night was a wild night for Ohio State linebacker Arvel Reese. Heading into the first round of the event, many draft pundits had him going to either the New York Jets at No. 2 overall or the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. However, he did not join any team. He was not even selected by the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall.
Instead, a player who many football evaluators believed had genuine superstar potential fell to the Giants at fifth overall. Although few expected Reese to fall this far, it was still a possibility. Because he could go somewhere in the top five, one would hope the First-Team All-American would have done some homework on which rosters he could work on.
Well, it seems that in the case of the Giants, they abandoned that research because they may have thought there was no chance he would end up as the newest member of Big Blue on Thursday night.
Arvel Reese only knows one New York Giants player?
During the press conference following his selection, Reese was asked which new teammate he was most looking forward to meeting. The 20-year-old spent 10 seconds trying to find the answer. When he finally figured it out, the answer was that one player wasn't even on his side of the ball. “Jackson Dart,” Reese said.
While the Giants didn't have a great defense last year, they still have some very good players on defense. An obvious choice would have been three-time Pro Bowler – including in 2025 – Brian Burns. Or 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter. A player who dominated Ohio State's conference, the Big Ten, in 2024. Even three-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence, because of his popular sack dance, would have made sense, even if he was traded last week.
It's not a good thing for Reese that he knows so little about the team he's going to. Giants fans will have to hope he was still filled with excitement about being drafted, that his mind suddenly went blank, or he was so focused on OSU getting back to the national title last season that he watched few NFL games.
