What if Giants fans interpreted the Arvell Reese pick all wrong? What if, instead of Kayvon Thibodeaux being caught in the crosshairs by the selection, it was actually more of a message to Abdul Carter?
Let me be clear, I am in no way, shape, or form insinuating the Giants will look to offload the 2025 third overall pick because they took Reese fifth this year, but it’s definitely not something to ignore.
People forget that before he finally put things together to end his rookie season on a high note, the first 12 games of his career were fairly underwhelming. Sure, he had his quick pressures and quarterback hurries, but a pass-rusher’s success is married to one stat, and that’s sacks. It’s only sacks. No one cares about anything else.
So when he had just 0.5 through his first dozen games, some serious doubt started creeping in.
It turns out a lot of that might’ve been attributed to his work ethic, or lack thereof. He’d been sleeping through meetings or missing them altogether under then-head coach Brian Daboll. Under new head coach John Harbaugh, that kind of behavior won’t cut it. Consider Reese the 6-foot-4, 241-pound wake-up call Carter needs heading into 2026.
Giants just made things a lot less comfortable for Abdul Carter
If Carter comes in right in 2026, there’s a chance the Giants’ defense becomes one of the most feared units in all of football. Coming out of Penn State, the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder was relentlessly compared to other Penn State alumni, Micah Parsons.
But Giants fans didn't get that version of him in 2025.
This isn’t about taking snaps away from Carter or his spot on the roster (he's going absolutely nowhere). It’s about making sure he never has another slow start like last year. That’s where Reese changes things.
And with Dexter Lawrence now playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Kayvon Thibodeaux’s name relentlessly swirling around in trade chatter, they need their third overall pick to tap into that gear now. In his last season in college, he posted 12.0 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Where’s that guy?
Hopefully, he realizes Reese’s arrival is about more than playing second fiddle. He’s here to become a cornerstone of this defense. Now it’s a competition between the two young guys -- 3D chess.
Reese just took an already flooded pass-rush room and made it overflow. But the 20-year-old offers so much more than terrorizing quarterbacks. He’s a defensive demon who can be used all over the field. He can play standing up, hand in the dirt, and off-ball.
And that’s the part people aren't seeing.
I’ll leave you with this: if the Giants were completely comfortable with Carter being their pass-rushing centerpiece moving forward, there’s a chance they don’t take Arvell Reese fifth. He was No. 1 on their draft board for a reason.
And that reason might not have anything to do with replacing Thibodeaux.
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