Giants Slammed by NFL Execs for Drafting Arvell Reese over Sonny Styles, Trading Dexter Lawrence

Despite all of the acclaim from analysts about their haul from the 2026 NFL draft, the New York Giants are getting some pushback for some of their decisions from those within the league.

Per The Athletic's Mike Sando, one executive criticized the selection of Arvell Reese over Sonny Styles if the plan is to use Reese at off-ball linebacker:

"They should have drafted Sonny Styles, because he's the one that got Reese lined up every day, and I think was better than Reese. Reese just disappeared in some of those games. They are talking about playing him off the ball, but if they wanted an off-the-ball linebacker, take Styles. He'd be the leader, the captain, the culture, the play style — everything you want from John Harbaugh's guy."

Another person unfavorably compared the Giants unfavorably to the New York Jets because they are confused by what their plan is.

"The Jets, I can at least look at and say, 'OK, got a lot of pieces, still don't have a QB, but you have all this ammunition next year, with three first-round picks,'" the exec told Sando. "If this was the Giants' one swing, 'OK, but are they better?'"

A different executive slammed the Giants for the decision to trade Dexter Lawrence without getting a more direct one-to-one replacement for him:

"I just don't feel like there is much of a plan. Did they replace Dexter Lawrence? You can't keep on trading your good players. You aren't gonna replace Dexter Lawrence with the 10th pick in most drafts, let alone this one. And considering the amount of money that Dexter Lawrence signed for (one-year, $28 million extension), like, how could you not get that done? What happened?"

One of many reasons that Reese tantalized scouts was because of his unique ability to play two positions at a high level. He's most familiar with the linebacker spot, even admitting to ESPN's Ben Solak that his pass-rush moves were basically all instinctual and he had no real understanding of what he was doing.

That does make it even more impressive that Reese recorded 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 14 games last season. If he has enough athleticism to do that without a real plan of attack, it's not hard to imagine what he can do when NFL coaches have him focus on it.

The Lawrence trade came late in the pre-draft cycle, with the Giants receiving the No. 10 pick from the Cincinnati Bengals for the three-time Pro Bowler.

Lawrence had been among the best interior defensive players in the NFL from 2022 to '24, but his pass-rush win rate of 8.4 percent last season marked a decline of more than 50 percent from his peak in 2022 and 2023 (17.5 percent).

The Giants used the pick they got from Cincinnati to select Miami guard Francis Mauigoa. He will likely slot in as an immediate starter at right guard, taking the place of Daniel Faalele.

It's certainly possible that swapping out Lawrence for Shelby Harris at nose tackle will be a significant downgrade, but Lawrence's performance last season at least suggests the Giants moved on at the exact right time.

Reese was the No. 4 prospect in the 2026 draft by B/R's NFL scouting department, so the Giants getting him at five is fine by that standard.

Considering there were many pre-draft rumblings connecting Reese to the New York Jets at No. 2 overall, having him stay on the board until pick five is great value for the Giants.

Even if there are ways to nitpick what the Giants did, their decisions to take Reese and Mauigoa in the top 10 are easily justifiable and make them look a lot more interesting on paper than they were prior to the draft.