Last year, the New York Giants selected the top linebacker in the NFL draft when they selected Penn State’s Abdul Carter with the third overall pick. This year, they repeated the feat when Arvell Reese of Ohio State fell into their laps at No. 5 overall.
Fans and experts’ imaginations have been running wild with the sudden reality of having two such highly talented players on the same defense.
Carter and Reese do not have a relationship heading into this season. They faced each other exactly one time, back in November of 2024, a 20-13 Buckeyes’ win, but Reese was not yet a factor. The then-19-year-old recorded no stats in the game.
But it was last year’s matchup that caught Carter’s eye. Watching the game on television, he got a full dose of what Reese could do. The Buckeyes walloped Carter’s alma mater, 38-14, with Reese delvering a signature performance: 12 total tackles, 2.5 for a loss, with a sack.
Carter told the New York Post on Friday at an event in the Bronx that Reese “popped off the screen” in that game and began hoping that the Giants would land Reese in the draft.
When they did, Carter made it known on social media that he was heavily in favor of the pick.
“Yeah, it’s very exciting,” Reese said after the draft about joining up with Carter. “You can get two guys from the Big Ten. Both dogs on the same defense. That’s always a good situation, you know. Very excited for that.””Just knowing what he can do, just watching him and the violence he plays with, and how fast he plays, it’s going to be fun,” Carter told The Post on Friday. “We’re on the same side now. How physical he plays, that’s going to be real helpful for us.”
Carter will line up on the outside along with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, while Reese mans things inside next to free-agent addition Tremaine Edmunds. But the Giants have made it clear that Reese will also see opportunities to rush the passer, creating a dynamic defensive threat.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Arvell Reese’s dominance against Penn State sold Giants’ Abdul Carter
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
