Former Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese distinguished himself as one of the best players in college football last season, even as the Buckeyes were dethroned as both Big Ten and national champions. After a stellar second season in Columbus, Reese declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
How Was Arvell Reese Compared to NFL Standout Micah Parsons?
In many circles, Reese has been mocked to be a top-three pick on draft night in a draft class that doesn’t feature many standout quarterbacks.
During Monday’s segment of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt predicted that the New York Jets would select Reese, while comparing the former Ohio State linebacker to Green Bay Packers’ star defensive end Micah Parsons.
“The draft gets interesting because there’s not a huge depth of QBs and the Jets are sitting here at No. 2 and they have a big QB need,” Klatt said. “I don’t think that they’re gonna go with Ty Simpson, partly because this roster for the Jets is decimated. This is where you can take a real impact player. The best overall player on the board, Arvell Reese.
“He’s a versatile defender. He can be on the ball, rushing the QB, he can be off the ball. He’s best on the ball. He’s so explosive, he’s flexible, he can move. He moves so well. He reminds me so much of Micah Parsons. Reese can blitz in the middle. He’s a great tackler, he’s very smart, and he was running an NFL defense with Matt Patricia at Ohio State.”
Reese is the second-highest-ranked prospect in PFSN’s Big Board, just behind former Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and would definitely improve the Jets after they finished last season No. 31 in sacks (26).
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The former Buckeyes’ linebacker finished the 2025 season with 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s Buckeyes defense that was No. 1 in the country, only allowing a meager 9.3 points per game.
Due to his stellar performances, Reese was named the Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and was a consensus All-American. In addition, he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which is given to the top linebacker in the country and was won by Texas Tech Red Raider star Jacob Rodriguez.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick on draft night, but due to the dearth of quarterback talent in the 2026 class, several players from a variety of positions have staked their claims to be selected in the top 10.
