Pass rusher Arvell Reese enters the conversation as a top five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after three seasons at Ohio State.
The versatile defender made the switch from inside linebacker to pass rusher last year, totaling 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 14 games.
In the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker, Reese ranks as the third-most mocked prospect to the Cardinals.
But should he be under consideration for a Cardinals team in a continued rebuild? It depends on how you weigh the pros and cons.
Pros and cons of Arvell Reese
The pass-rushing instincts are there
Reese brings with him plenty of versatility to impact a defense both on and off the ball.
After seeing just six snaps on the outside in 2024, the 6-foot-4, 241-pounder saw more time on the edge in 2025 with 327 snaps on the outside compared to 286 in the box.
The results were career marks for Reese, an All-American nod and first-round projection. He added a blazing 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft Combine.
This week's "Arvell Reese is really freaking good" tweet.
Speed. Burst. Violence. What a weapon. pic.twitter.com/fnQ1moA83a
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) November 1, 2025
The crazy part? Reese feels he’s just “scratching the surface” in a role he’s ready to own.
“Teams have pretty much been asking me what I want to do and see where my mind was at,” Reese told reporters at the combine. “I’ve been telling them I think I’m an outside linebacker/edge. I haven’t even scratched the surface with really what I can do pass rushing.”
Refining his abilities as a pass rusher and really diving into the craft could make him an absolute problem in a Cardinals defense that loves it some versatility under coordinator Nick Rallis and needs a legit running mate opposite edge rusher Josh Sweat.
Take out Sweat’s team-leading 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, and Arizona’s pass-rushing room combined for just 5.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Sweat is Arizona’s premier pass rusher. Double-digit sacks and TFLs should be the norm. But not having a consistent threat opposite the veteran gives opposing offenses one less thing to worry about.
There’s no substitute for experience
There’s a yin to the scratching-the-surface yang when it comes to Reese.
It’s no secret he’s still raw at the position. Working off speed and strength alone has gotten him to this point. Now, it’s about taking that next step and nailing down the proper technique to succeed on a consistent basis at the NFL level.
But can the Cardinals really afford to take a chance at No. 3 overall on a prospect who isn’t nearly as polished as Texas Tech’s David Bailey or Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr at his position?
After all, Reese had just 138 pass-rushing reps combined at Ohio State (119 in 2025), according to Pro Football Focus. That’s a far cry from Bailey (904) and Bain (1,149).
Misdirection and play actions, two things he would see plenty of in the NFC West, caused him fits at times last year. Bulking up just a little more at the position wouldn’t hurt, either. Neither would having a concrete pass-rushing plan, a key part to winning at the NFL level.
There’s also the hybrid side of the argument.
Versatility is great to have in the NFL, as long as you can properly utilize it.
The Cardinals, while ran by another regime entirely, haven’t had the best track record when it comes to tweener linebackers.
That’s more of a knock on the franchise not having a clear (or appropriate) plan than it is Reese. Still, it’s something that plenty of Cardinals fans have bad flashbacks about.
Coming away with Reese, who FanDuel Sportsbook has as the favorite to go No. 3 overall, wouldn’t be the end of the world for Arizona by any means, as long as there is a concrete plan moving forward.
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