Chiefs scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes LB Arvell Reese

The Kansas City Chiefs won’t finish high enough in the 2026 NFL draft order to select Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese, but the Las Vegas Raiders might land the future All-American. Chiefs fans must prepare for Las Vegas to potentially add one of the most exciting defensive prospects of the past few years.

Reese is a unique prospect. He thrived at off-ball linebacker this season but wasn’t asked to contribute much in coverage. His physical traits have many analysts speculating that he could transition to a true edge rusher role. Abdul Carter made a similar move in his final season of college football. Reese isn’t as speedy as Carter, but he’s much stronger.

At 6'4", 243 lbs., Reese is a dense and long-limbed linebacker with excellent pop in his hands. He attacks offensive linemen in both the pass and run games with rare violence. Reese immediately halts and stacks climbing linemen with his heavy hands and establishes low leverage to pry up their pad levels.

Reese’s explosive power and physicality make him one of the best linebackers in the class at setting the point of attack and quickly defeating blocks. However, Reese is also a patient player who surveys plays from the second level before fitting the correct gap.

Reese pairs his power with quality agility and movement skills. He changes directions well and uses his lateral agility to evade climbing linemen when he doesn’t want to take on a block directly. His acceleration to beat linemen to their landmarks or to pursue the football is extremely rare for a linebacker, regardless of size. Don’t overlook his burst and speed.

Reese lacks an arsenal of developed pass rush moves and counters. He primarily relies on chops, humps, long-arms and spins. His hands command enough power to soften the offensive tackle’s shoulders and create easier angles. Reese posts some instant wins with his long-arm and hump because of his explosive play strength and precise hand placement.

Reese gains nice depth when bailing out of mugged-up looks and is quick enough to carry tight ends or running backs to depth in coverage. However, Ohio State primarily uses him in shallow coverage and rarely gives him dynamic reps in man coverage.

Ohio State plays Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT. This is a match between the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s two highest-seeded teams.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2026 NFL draft scouting report: Ohio State Buckeyes LB Arvell Reese