There are three things certain in life: death, taxes, and multiple NFL teams flying out of the Ohio State Buckeyes' seven-front just when the calendar hits April. This year, it's none other than Arvell Reese
. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, there's plenty of time to pay top dollar to get their hands on this draft class's best EDGE.
After snagging the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award, the Ohio State edge rusher has become the hottest in this year's draft panel. Analysts like Mel Kiper have him as 3rd best prospect. It's only fair for teams obsessed over you.
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Right now, Reese is basically living out of a suitcase because so many NFL teams are begging for a piece of his time. He's already knocked out his "Top 30" visits with a heavy-hitting list of teams, including the pass-rush-needy Chiefs and a Giants team looking to rebuild its front seven. The Cardinals, Titans, Jets
, and Cowboys also hosted the star linebacker, as each franchise is in dire need of a sack-obsessed, run-stopping presence.
For instance, the biggest problem the Chiefs had last season was pass rush. Chris Jones
is getting old before our eyes. Last season, Kansas City
struggled to get to the quarterback, finishing with only 35 sacks in the regular season (one of the lowest in the league). They heavily relied on Chris Jones to pair with their star defensive end, George Karlaftis
. But who would be a better pick than Arvell Reese?
If you look at the latest mock drafts, things get even more interesting, especially for New York fans. Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah (who goes by @MoveTheSticks on X) has Reese pegged as the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Jets.
Then again, the Jets are not any better than the Chiefs when it comes to the pass-rush department. They had a rough time getting sacks last year (only 26 total). Since they already acquired Geno Smith
, it's pretty much in the writing that they would pick the Buckeye.
At the same time, don't count out the Arizona Cardinals
at No. 3 or even a team like the Titans. The Cowboys have 2 draft picks in the first round ( No. 12 and No. 20). Knowing they lost Micah Parsons
to the Green Bay Packers
and how crazy Jerry Jones gets, they might actually trade up and take a certain flier on Buckeye man.
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The reason the train is moving so fast is that Reese's stats and physical numbers are actually kind of terrifying. Some actually consider him to be the second coming of Micah Parsons. Last season, he racked up 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks, which is impressive enough, but then he went to the NFL Combine and broke the internet.
He clocked a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, which tied for the fastest time among all linebackers. To put that in perspective, that's faster than some of the WRs at the combine. When you combine that raw speed with his 10 tackles for loss, and little off-season development here and there, you've got yourself a future all-pro linebacker.
As we get closer to draft night later this April, trade rumours are only going to get more and more. Ohio State fans are already bracing themselves to say goodbye to their star and are already quite apparently grooming Arvell Reese's replacement.
Ohio State picks Arvell Reese's replacement
Head coach Ryan Day and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis
knew they needed an immediate successor, and they had to dip into the portal to take a chance on the project for Arvell Reese's replacement, setting their eyes on Christian Alliegro
out of the Badgers football
after a crucial Tuesday visit.
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He's a big, 6-foot-4 linebacker who just transferred from Madison to Columbus. The coaches are already putting him to work. In his first seven practices as a Buckeye, he hasn't been playing like a traditional linebacker hiding behind the defensive line. Instead, what they've done is, they actually lined him up right next to the edge. Yes, basically acting like one pass rusher. Since he already has the size, it just looks like he's fitting right in, alright.
"We've been doing a lot of edge stuff right now, so I'm kind of playing like that Sam position to the field," Alliegro told reporters after the seventh practice of the spring on Thursday. "I think next week we'll go more down to like a (four down linemen, two linebacker scheme), but right now we're kind of like a one-backer Sam, so I've been working a lot on the edge right now."
Alliegro is built almost exactly like Reese, so the coaches are training him to be that same kind of versatile playmaker who can do a little of everything. Even though he's spending a lot of time on the edge right now, that's not all he's going to do. The plan for the rest of spring practice is to move him around even more. He'll start practicing as an "off-ball" linebacker, which is the more traditional spot where you see guys chasing down running backs in the middle of the field.
One thing that really made the Ohio State coaches fall in love with Alliegro was how tough he is. Last year, when he was still playing for Wisconsin
, he actually played against Ohio State with a broken arm. He still managed to finish the season with 53 tackles and a career-high 4 sacks last season.
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Over three seasons at Wisconsin, he racked up 124 career tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks. In 2024, PFF had him placed in the 94th percentile nationally as a pass rusher with a 75.1 grade in that category.
Looking ahead, Alliegro is going to be a huge part of the linebacker rotation alongside younger guys like Payton Pierce
and Riley Pettijohn
. Over the next few practices, we'll have a clear idea about his position for next season.
