Ohio State's Arvell Reese Declares for 2026 NFL Draft, Latest B/R Mock Draft Projection

One of the best defensive prospects in all of college football is headed to the 2026 NFL draft.

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese announced Thursday he is entering the draft after helping lead the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff.

He checks in as the No. 6 overall player and No. 1 linebacker on the latest big board from B/R's NFL Scouting Department. He is also the No. 7 overall pick to the Washington Commanders in the department's latest mock draft.

B/R's Matt Holder also listed his player comparison as "Demario Davis with more length" in a full scouting report.

While Reese was a highly regarded recruit in the 2023 class, he was relatively unknown from a national perspective heading into the 2025 season. After all, he was nothing more than a secondary contributor early in his collegiate career as he was behind other notable players on the depth chart.

However, he wasted no time becoming a national name this past season.

Reese notched a sack in Ohio State's opening win against Texas and followed that with sacks against Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Penn State. His combination of burst off the edge and power when engaged with offensive linemen made him seemingly impossible to block at times.

Yet that seemed to change down the stretch, as he failed to record a single sack in any of the Buckeyes' final six games, including their CFP loss to Miami. He was used more as a spy at times than someone coming off the edge on the blitz, which contributed to his lack of production but was also a testament to his speed in the open field.

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His overall talent figures to stand out to NFL evaluators much more than his lack of sacks down the stretch of the campaign.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department listed him as the best blitzer, the best run-stopper and the most versatile of all the linebacker prospects. He can drop into coverage if needed, chase running backs and quarterbacks in the open field, and serve as a dominant edge rusher if asked.

NFL defensive coordinators will see that overall versatility and surely jump at the chance to mix and match him in different looks up front.

But it will likely be only the defensive coordinators for teams drafting in the top 10 who will have a chance at landing Reese.