DJ Siddiqi
• Contributor
15+ years betting experience
Updated:
Apr 23, 2026 , 03:17 AM ET
• 4 min read
Projected top-5 NFL Draft pick Arvell Reese opens up on Jets interest, draft night nerves, and why staying grounded matters more than hype as he prepares to turn childhood dreams into reality.
Ohio State Linebacker Arvell Reese may be one of the top stars in this 2026 NFL Draft, but he’s keen to show he knows the work is just beginning on a successful football career.
The 6-foot-4 linebacker is projected to go as high as the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Jets and is regarded as one of the top two edge rushers in this draft alongside Texas Tech’s David Bailey.
Reese was named a consensus All-American during his final season with the Ohio State Buckeyes after making the transition from inside linebacker to more of an outside edge-rushing role. He posted 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Arvell Reese talked exclusively to Covers.com on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft to discuss the Draft Night jitters, the possibility of going number 2 overall, and his growth as an NFL-ready pass rusher.
“I’ve always dreamed of this my whole life”
Our conversation started off discussing what Arvell Reese expects and how he is mentally preparing for his NFL Draft.
“I don’t think it has hit me yet,” The former Ohio State linebacker put his emotions plainly, “I don’t think it hit me yet. But I know after my name is called, I know it’s just going to be nothing but excitement. I’ll be honest, I’ve always dreamed of this my whole life. This is something that since I was six or seven years old, this is what I always wanted. After I hear it, I think it’s going to hit me.
“But as of right now, I’m kind of like, I don’t know. I’m still me right now, but when that happens, I know I’m going to just feel excitement. I have my family there. It’s going to be an exciting moment.”
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Arvell Reese on Aaron Glenn: His Future Head Coach?
Reese has popularly been linked to the Jets in mock drafts. However, if they decide to go with Bailey over him or for another position of need, Reese could drop to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 or elsewhere if another team trades up to the top of the draft.
Reese said his meetings with the Jets leading into the draft have been good and he “respects” head coach Aaron Glenn.
“If I go number two, that would be amazing,” Reese told Covers, “That would be amazing. That would be a blessing. But it’ll be a blessing to be picked at number two, three, top five, anything. It’ll be a blessing to go anywhere. My meeting with the Jets, it went well. I think it went well. I like the coaches I met there. I had a long, long talk with Coach Glenn.
“I liked his mindset and his goals, and it’s the stuff you want to achieve for the organization,” Reese continued. “He told me he felt like the organization aligns with my playstyle and what I bring to the table. That conversation went well. I respect Coach Glenn.”
When asked what Glenn is like when it comes to his personality and what was most notable to him is how “serious” the former NFL defensive back is. Glenn is entering his second season as the Jets’ head coach and played 15 seasons in the NFL, including his first eight seasons with New York. Glenn was actually a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his career.
“I think just how serious he was,” said Reese of what his most impressive about Glenn. “When you hear his story, his career, and then you meet him, you realize, ‘Okay, I see why he played for so long, and he had the success he had because he got his head on straight.’ From the talk he had with me, he said how he had his head on straight and he knew what he wanted to accomplish. He said that’s why he played for a long time.”
Learning Linebacker Under the Belichick Coaching Tree
Reese is accustomed to playing for serious coaches, coming from Ohio State where Ryan Day is the head coach and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Patricia learned under the tutelage of New England Patriots great Bill Belichick.
The 20-year-old linebacker said preparation is the biggest thing he learned while playing for the Buckeyes. Reese won a national championship during the 2024 season and led the Buckeyes to another College Football Playoff appearance last season.
“The biggest thing I learned at Ohio State, you had to go about playing college football like it was pro football, like you had to be real intentional with everything you did,” Reese explained, “Our practices were elite, fast paced, best versus best. I think just preparing like a pro, giving football your all and just putting football on a higher standard. The standard at Ohio State is higher. I should say that the standard at Ohio State is higher and raises everybody up to the occasion.”
There are questions over Reese’s lack of experience as an outside edge rusher. Reese went into detail over that transition before his junior season and how he’s ‘excited’ about perfecting the craft of being an outside linebacker once he’s in the NFL.
“That transition Coach Patricia got there in the spring, beginning of spring, he just showed me the role he was gonna put me in,” said Reese. “At that point, I was still an inside backer, but I was having to learn the edge. The majority of my time, like 90% of my time, was spent as an inside backer. They would probably be like 10%-to-20% I’m focusing on the edge stuff. But it was never intentional with the pass rusher, figuring out what moves I need to do and that type of stuff.
“It was more so taking the time to learn how to play the run on the edge against certain plays and if I got to spin it or if I gotta thin it, it was never about getting intentional with the pass rush,” Reese continued. “I’m really just excited about perfecting the craft of everything that comes with being an outside backer, whether it’s rushing, taking on certain run blocks and how to defeat certain tackles, however they pass it. It’s gonna take some work, but I’m ready to work towards it.”
Ready To Hit The Edge And Celebrate With His New Teammates
Reese once again hammered home how he wants to get better as a pass rusher.
“I want to get better at pass rusher,” Reese replied when asked about his next steps to get ready for the NFL, “I truly do. I say that I want to get better as a pass rusher for sure.”
When asked what is a successful rookie season in his mind, he said “winning” trumps any and every individual objective.
“A successful rookie season in my mind will be just winning and being a reason,” Reese emphasized, “That’d be a successful rookie season. Gotta win and gotta contribute and be a reason for winning.”
When asked how he’ll celebrate his first sack in the NFL, Reese keeps it simple — he said he’ll find a teammate to celebrate with.
“I’ll probably be celebrating my first sack with my teammates,” Reese paused to reflect, before continuing, “That’s what I’ll always do. I’ll get up and look for a teammate to celebrate with. That’s how I’ll be doing it.”