ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Brandon Beane faces a massive clock. With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, the Buffalo Bills sit at pick No. 26 with a glaring hole in the middle of their defense. Newly hired defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is installing an aggressive 3-4 base scheme. He needs a terrifying edge rusher. He needs Arvell Reese.
The Ohio State junior destroyed the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, Reese scorched the turf with a 4.46 40-yard dash. He wrapped up his 2025 season in Columbus as a consensus All-American, recording 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks under former NFL coach Matt Patricia. Reese does not just pursue the ball carrier; he erases the angle entirely.
The Perfect Fit for Leonhard’s Defense
Leonhard wants to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. During his introductory press conference earlier this year, the new coordinator promised an attacking, pressure-heavy unit that forces offenses to react. Transitioning from Sean McDermott’s traditional 4-3 alignment requires unique athletes who can stand up on the edge, drop into coverage, and flatten offensive tackles.
Reese fits that exact mold. You could feel the collective gasp inside Lucas Oil Stadium when he ran his 40-yard dash. I watched him casually drill the agility drills, looking more like a boundary cornerback than a violent box defender. His closing speed forces running backs to hesitate behind the line of scrimmage. Once they stutter, Reese detonates the play.
- Instant Acceleration: Reese possesses an explosive first step that routinely leaves 300-pound collegiate linemen grasping at air.
- Tackling Efficiency: He missed only a handful of tackles throughout his entire Ohio State career, utilizing fundamentally sound wrap-up technique.
- Positional Flexibility: Patricia deployed Reese across multiple alignments, rushing him off the edge, plugging the A-gap, and occasionally spying mobile quarterbacks.
The Micah Parsons Comparison
Scouts across the league keep whispering the same name when evaluating Reese: Micah Parsons. The comparison holds serious weight. Look at the immediate impact Parsons had when he entered the league, relying on sheer athletic dominance before refining his pass-rush moves.
Following his blockbuster trade to the Green Bay Packers and his record-breaking $186 million contract extension earlier this month, Parsons represents the gold standard for modern hybrid defenders. Reese enters the 2026 draft light-years ahead of where Parsons was against the run coming out of Penn State. Opposing teams actively ran away from Reese in 2025. He sets a heavy edge, violently sheds blocks, and locates the football through heavy traffic.
However, Reese remains a raw pass rusher. He relies almost entirely on his pure speed and bend to win repetitions. When a veteran tackle stones his initial rush, Reese struggles to transition into a secondary counter move. He needs an NFL defensive line coach to build his toolbox.
“I want to dictate the terms of the game. You put me on the edge in a 3-4, and I promise you the quarterback will feel me every single snap. I’m ready to learn, and I’m ready to hunt.”
— Arvell Reese, Ohio State Linebacker (at the 2026 NFL Combine)
Draft Implications / What Happens Next
The Bills cannot sit patiently at No. 26 and expect Reese to fall into their laps. Current mock drafts project the Ohio State star flying off the board inside the top 10, heavily linked to the New York Jets at No. 2 and the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. Both of those franchises desperately need edge-rushing talent.
Beane must decide if this is the year he pushes all his chips to the center of the table. Packaging Buffalo’s late first-round pick with future capital to vault into the top five guarantees Leonhard gets his foundational piece. Securing Reese gives Buffalo a legitimate, terrifying counter to the elite quarterbacks in the AFC. Missing out means scraping the bottom of the free-agent barrel for aging veterans to plug a premium position.
Buffalo’s championship window demands immediate impact players. Go get the freak from Columbus.
