The New York Jets selected David Bailey over Arvell Reese with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons believes the Jets made the correct pick.
Parsons provided analysis of the Bailey selection during Bleacher Report’s live draft show on April 23. The three-time All-Pro opined Bailey would be a strong fit in Aaron Glenn’s defense and acknowledged he envisioned the 22-year-old being more of an Aidan Hutchinson-type player than Reese would be.
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Then, Parsons made some eyebrown-raising comments about his perception of Reese’s positional value.
“Arvell Reese is mysterious,” Parsons said. “He’s an off-ball linebacker, like myself, that guys wanna say, ‘He can be a rusher. Stand up.’ But he’s off-ball. You’re not taking an off-ball linebacker at No. 2.”
Naturally, Parsons’ take was met with some resistance from NFL fans. After all, wasn’t Parsons himself an off-ball linebacker who converted himself into one of the league’s top edge rushers? And didn’t Reese receive Parsons comparisons in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft?
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Parson addressed all of that as he continued his analysis.
Micah Parsons offers thoughts on Arvell Reese
As Parsons outlined, he believes the comparisons between himself and Reese are imperfect because he thinks the New York Giants are drafting the Ohio State product to be an edge rusher.
“I got drafted at 12 as a linebacker and then I transitioned to defensive end,” Parsons said shortly after the Giants selected Reese with the No. 5 overall pick. “I never got drafted as a defensive end. So, that’s like a bad comp.”
Beyond that, the comparison between Parsons and Reese also ignores the fact that Parsons entered Penn State as a five-star recruit who played defensive end, as well as running back, during his high school days. He moved to off-ball linebacker in college before converting back to his natural, edge rusher spot during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
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Meanwhile, Reese was recruited to Ohio State as an off-ball linebacker. He played a hybrid role on the edge in high school – just like he did during his lone season as a starter for the Buckeyes – but most projections considered Reese to be a long-term linebacker.
As such, Parsons believes a key part of the conversation is missing when discussing Reese’s potential as an NFL pass rusher.
“You’re not taking that risk in the top 10 to say, ‘We’re making you an edge off of linebacker tape,'” Parsons explained. “Especially when a majority of his sacks were from off-the-ball.”
Despite his critique of Reese, Parsons made it clear he was a believer in the Ohio State product’s talent. He had Reese graded as the No. 9 overall player on his big board and said he understood why the Giants selected Parsons when they did.
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He just isn’t sure whether Reese will develop into the type of edge rusher some have been projecting him to be.
“I just think it’s not proven,” Parsons said. “It doesn’t mean this can’t happen.”
Breaking down Arvell Reese’s pro potential
Parsons has a point about Reese as a prospect. Among the top selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, Reese was widely viewed as someone who would be drafted based on his potential instead of his pro-readiness.
Remember, Reese was just a one-year starter at Ohio State. He posted strong numbers in his hybrid role – 69 tackles, 10 TFL and 6.5 sacks – and earned All-American honors because of his performance.
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Still, Reese is considered a big-time work-in progress off the edge. And NFL fans saw firsthand how raw he is for that role in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Case in point, the hullabaloo that surrounded Reese’s performance in the bag drills at Ohio State’s pro day. The 20-year-old drew attention for struggling to bend around the bags, showing off some stiffness and less fluid athleticism compared to other top edge rusher prospects, like Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr., who thrived during the drill.
But again, that wasn’t a major surprise. What Reese lacks in experience he makes up for in size and athleticism. He is a developmental prospect who has all the tools needed to become a fearsome pass rusher and hybrid playmaker.
And even if those skills never quite develop as expected, Reese can become an excellent starter off-the-ball.
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In a normal draft class, such a result might be disappointing for a top-five overall selection. However, positional value was largely thrown out the window during a 2026 NFL Draft class that was considered to be weak overall.
All that’s to say it’s understandable why Parsons, like the Jets, might prefer Bailey to Reese. It’s also fair for him to express concern about whether Reese will become the pass rusher many are hoping.
But at the end of the day, NFL teams typically bank on talent in the top 10 selections. There’s little doubt that Reese is among the most talented players in the 2026 NFL Draft, regardless of what position he ends up playing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Micah Parsons explains why Arvell Reese was a ‘risk in the top 10’
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