The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is here, and the NFL draft is right around the corner. As teams start to home in on their top targets, it’s time to look at which prospects will end up where in April. Arguably the best overall player in this class is Ohio State linebacker/edge defender Arvell Reese, so let’s look at his top three destinations in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Reese is the closest player to Micah Parsons to come out of the draft since, well, Micah Parsons. He is an off-ball linebacker in edge rusher size and physical ability at 6-foot-4, 243 pounds. He has the potential to be an incredibly versatile chess piece and is still just 20 years old, which is why there is a good chance he is the first non-quarterback off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.
After a decent sophomore season where he backed up 2025 draft prospect Sonny Styles and Arizona Cardinals LB Cody Simon, Reese had a breakout year in 2025. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia used the linebacker in all different spots on the formation, leading to 69 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for a loss, two passes defended, and an All-American nod.
Reese can be a game-changer if he goes to the right coach and right system, which is why these three teams make the most sense as the best Arvell Reese destinations in 2026 NFL Draft.
New York Jets
The New York Jets hold the key to the 2026 NFL Draft. We all know Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is going No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders, but what the Jets do after that will set the tone for the rest of the draft.
In the most recent ClutchPoints NFL mock draft, the Jets take Arvell Reese at No. 2. That’s because, with holes at almost every position on the roster, Gang Green only has one need this offseason: talent.
Reese is the type of player a franchise can build a defense around. Lining him up at different positions and letting him confuse the offense could become a calling card of a unit that doesn’t currently have an identity, despite having a defensive-minded head coach, Aaron Glenn, in charge.
And speaking of Glenn, he will now call plays on defense this season, which is a make-or-break for the first-time head coach. In Detroit, he has Aidan Hutchinson, who was a static position pass rusher, but an elite one. If Reese can develop into that level of pressure-getter and do it from multiple spots in the formation, Glenn could not only save his job but really have something for the future.
Tennessee Titans
Another team that needs to build a new identity on defense is the Tennessee Titans, who made the first step in that direction this offseason by hiring former Jets head coach and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next frontman.
Saleh runs a Cover 3 defense, but he pairs that with a Wide 9 rush and often double mugs on the line of scrimmage. What that means is that the defensive ends set up well outside the tackles and speed rush the quarterback while the off-ball linebackers push up to the line in the gaps in either side of the center.
What Reese could give Saleh is a player who he could line up on the edge or in the middle of the line. Saleh has always liked smaller, faster pass-rushers like Nick Bosa, Will McDonald, or Jermiane Johnson (the latter two, whom he drafted in New York). Reese can be that in a Wide 9 scheme, or he could be one of the double mug ‘backers who can blitz or drop out depending on the coverage.
If you are rooting for the best and most interesting scheme fit for Reese, you should hope he goes to the Tennessee Titans.
Arizona Cardinals
Arvell Reese may not make it to the Titans, though, because the Cardinals pick at No. 3. If the Ohio State linebacker somehow sneaks past the Jets, the Cardinals may scoop him up.
The argument for picking Reese here is similar to the Jets' rationale, in that Reese may be the best position player in this draft, and the Cardinals are pretty devoid of talent on both sides of the ball. Taking the best player available makes sense, even if new head coach Mike LaFleur is an offensive-minded guy.
And that point dovetails with the other reasons the Cardinals could take Reese at No. 3 in the 2026 NFL Draft. Arizona is letting Kyler Murray go one way or another this offseason, and the offense will likely be a bit of a mess. With no clear QB2 worth a top-three selection, if the Cardinals have any chance to improve this offseason, it’s likely by strengthening the defensive side of the ball, and a player like Reese can certainly do that.
