The New York Giants had a ton of intrigue surrounding them, as they had two first-round picks in this year's NFL Draft, both of which in the top 10, and a new voice running the show in head coach John Harbaugh. With the fifth pick, there were plenty of directions they could have gone, but they may have gotten an assist from their in-state rivals, the New York Jets.
With the second-overall pick, the Jets were going to take a draft a pass rusher. It was a matter of whether they would take the higher upside player in Ohio State's Arvell Reese, or the more "helps right now" pass rusher in Texas Tech's David Bailey. The Jets ultimately decided to select Bailey with the second overall pick.
The Giants then watched the Arizona Cardinals select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and the Tennessee Titans select Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate. The Giants were then left with a rather easy choice, and that was to select Reese, probably the top prospect in the entire draft.
GOT OUR GUY!!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jXNdgnNVWu
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 24, 2026
Giants have Jets to thank for letting Arvell Reese fall to them in NFL Draft
It was difficult to envision Reese falling to the No. 5 spot. But the recent buzz was that the Jets were going to take Bailey, even though they canceled a visit at their facility in the lead up to the draft. Yet, that's exactly what happened.
During their post-draft press conference, Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen revealed that they had Reese and 10th overall pick Francis Mauigoa as two of their top five prospects in the draft. Schoen said that they did a bunch of draft simulations, and Harbaugh said "this one did not come up."
The Giants say that Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa were two of their top 5 players. Didn't think this combo was possible.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 24, 2026
Joe Schoen did a ton of simulated drafts.
"This one did not come up," John Harbaugh said.
Reese doesn't have much starter's experience, but he has freakish athletic ability. He can play anywhere on the defense, whether it's on the edge or at linebacker, giving Harbaugh some versatility to really attack opposing offenses. This past season, Reese recorded 69 combined tackles (34 solo, 35 assisted), 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, earning him All-American nods.
The Jets obviously targeted Bailey to help out their pass rush immediately. They have a head coach in Aaron Glenn who knows how to build up a defense, and he fedlt that Bailey would make an immediate impact for him. But passing up on a higher upside player in Reese could come back to haunt them, especially if he shines with the Giants.
Just imagine, Giants fans, a front seven featuring Reese, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Tremaine Edmunds. Talk about a nightmare for opponents.
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