The closer we get to draft night, the clearer it’s becoming that Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is a polarizing prospect. What can he be in the NFL? Or where should he go? But standing right in the middle of this uncertainty was John Harbaugh. At the Buckeyes’ pro day in late March, amid a crowd of NFL GMs and scouts, the New York Giants’ $100M head coach pulled him aside and dropped some words of wisdom. 

“You always got to work on it, man,” John Harbaugh told Arvell Reese. “You’re going to be working on it for the rest of your life. Work on everything… Just be yourself. Go enjoy it. Enjoy the process.”

The Buckeyes star didn’t overthink it when he said, “That’s all I know how to do. Be me.”

“That’s it,” Harbaugh added. “Hey, everybody else is taken, right? Got to be you. Everybody else is taken.”

That exchange matters because what teams are drafting is a steep developmental arc. At 6’4, 241 pounds, Arvell Reese looked like an elite edge rusher at the NFL Combine, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58 ten-yard split. Both those numbers are top-tier for passing rushers. His final season production included 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, showing a clear year-over-year jump from a quieter 2024 campaign. But the production is only part of the evaluation.

It’s good to be versatile but in Arvell Reese’s case, it’s creating complications regarding his positional identity. He sees himself as an edge but some teams see an off-ball LB with pass-rush upside. Still, others believe he can become a hybrid impact like Micah Parsons under the right system. That “if” is doing a lot of work because he’s not a finished product. What he does have is rare closing speed and legitimate power at the point of attack. That’s why one league sentiment keeps surfacing that he is a ceiling pick, not a floor pick and that’s why John Harbaugh is in the conversation. 

The Giants, holding picks No. 5 and No. 10, have a great chance to rewrite their identity in one night. Arvell Reese is very much in play, if he even gets that far because multiple teams inside the top 3 have done extensive work on him. There’s a real possibility that he’s getting his name called as early as No. 2. If that happens, John Harbaugh’s decision is made easier. If not, it becomes complicated because new reports introduced an unexpected possibility on the offensive side. 

Could John Harbaugh get a WR at No. 5?

It’s not only John Harbaugh who’s facing a tug-of-war here with their No. 5 pick. Analysts like ESPN’s Adam Schefter are torn too.

“The New York Giants had two building block picks,” he told Get Up. “These are rare picks for John Harbaugh to have, and he’s going to be looking for players to set their culture. Now a lot of people believe the Giants have a high level of interest in the Arizona statewide receiver, Jordan Tyson. At his workout, private workout on Friday in Arizona, the question would be if they don’t take them at five, will he be there at 10?”

His observation is echoed by voices like Todd McShay and Rich Eisen. The Giants have shown interest in Jordyn Tyson, a Big 12 WR with clear playmaking ability but a notable injury history. The interest is understandable because their WR room lacks long-term certainty. Still, the positional value is hard to ignore. 

Jordyn Tyson is not widely viewed as a top-5 prospect. He’s coming off multiple injuries, including a significant knee issue and a collarbone fracture. And even within the WR group, he’s behind several prospects on consensus boards. So it’s easy to drop opinions if the Giants pass on a versatile defensive prospect like Arvell Reese for a receiver with medical flags. 

But in the end, this decision circles back to the same advice John Harbaugh dropped at pro day. Know who you are. Arvell Reese is not a safe pick, but he is a rare one. He offers impact, flexibility, and long-term upside, but only if a team commits to developing him with intent.