Ohio State's Arvell Reese Keeps Getting Paired With 1 NFL Team in Mocks

The 2026 NFL draft is literally moments away, and Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese is expected to be selected early in the draft. It’ll be a shock if he’s there after pick No. 5.

The 2026 event is set to take place from April 23 through 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ahead of the draft, Reese keeps getting paired with one NFL team more than the rest.

NFL analyst Nate Davis rattles off his picks for the 2026 NFL draft in a Sunday, April 19 feature for USA Today. In it, he predicted which players each 32 NFL teams will take, and his choices factor in the weekend trade between the Giants and Bengals.

“Five days before it was set to start, the draft’s outlook was drastically altered again – the New York Giants agreeing to trade Pro Bowl DL Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall selection,” he says in the piece, “meaning the G-Men now own a pair of picks in the top 10.”

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For Reese, he has the Arizona Cardinals taking him with their No. 3 selection. Reese gets paired with the Cardinals a lot, but the difference here is that he thinks the Cardinals would rather have a different option.

“The Cards would probably love to deal out of this spot. The question is, who'd come up this high given Mendoza is the only perceived franchised quarterback available this year?” he says in the feature. “Even a swap with the Giants, who select fifth overall, feels rich given their numerous needs and lack of draft ammo beyond the second round.”

So, here’s my take. There have been rumblings that general manager Monti Ossenfort might want to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in this slot, and it’s no wonder, because he’s solid. Next to Mendoza, I think he’s the best player in this class. But, taking a running back that early in chancy.

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Davis also points out that with “James Conner, Trey Benson and recently signed Tyler Allgeier on Arizona’s RB depth chart … kinda feels like fake news disseminated in a ploy that might even try to entice the Tennessee Titans to move up No. 4 to this spot. Stay tuned.”

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 4:03 PM.