When Ohio State linebacker Avre Reese showed up for his NFL Scouting Combine media interview Wednesday morning, the nameplate on his podium read his name as “Vail.”
This surprised him.
“No, no, no. You can stick with Avel,” Reese said from the podium via ChatSports.
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It’s obvious that any NFL fan who doesn’t know Reese’s name will soon, probably by the end of the week.
In an NFL draft where only one quarterback is expected to go within the first few picks, Reese could end up being the No. 2 overall pick behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Reese’s athleticism, versatility and production will appeal to top-five teams. Reese said Wednesday that he has met with the Jets, who own the No. 2 pick in the draft. Combine interviews don’t indicate where a player will go to a certain team, but it wouldn’t be surprising if a team selecting within the first few picks of the draft would want to get to know Reese better. He is one of the most intriguing talents in the draft.
Arvell Reese said he would prefer to play outside linebacker or edge defender in the NFL. (Photo by Zach Bollinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sports Wire via Getty Images)
Reese played all of Ohio State’s first seven games last season, and the Buckeyes’ defense led the FBS, allowing just 9.3 points per game. Reese will play off-ball guard but will also line up on the edge in pass rush situations. This is similar to Micah Parsons’ role at Penn State. Reese said he was asked where he wanted to play football.
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“I would tell them outside linebacker, or edge,” Reese said.
This makes sense, as edge rushers have greater value in the NFL. Reese said he was on the edge about 60 percent of the time last season and has room to grow as a full-time edge player. He only had 6.5 sacks last season, mostly because he wasn’t always running.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface of what I can really do with rushing the ball,” Reese said.
This week could be a big one for Reese. He talked about needing to get better in many aspects of his game, but the athleticism is easy to see on tape. Reese said he’s doing all the drills at the combine, including all edge drills and all linebacker drills, and while he doesn’t have a 40-yard dash time goal, “I’m just trying to make sure I’m fast.”
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He should perform well in practice, and if he does, he’ll join other edge backs like Miami’s Reuben Bane Jr. and Texas Tech’s David Bailey in the top three. While Reese’s versatility at Ohio State speaks volumes about his ability as a football player, there will be some projections for teams going high in the draft since he’s not a full-time player at any one position. But the raw ability should make for an easy transition and move high in the draft.
“I think I still have a lot to improve at outside linebacker and on the edge, as far as pass rushing and coverage, but I think I can get used to it pretty quickly, that’s for sure,” Reese said.