Giants Rookie Arvell Reese Draws RoboCop Comparison From ESPN’s Peter Schrager

The New York Giants have spent training camp trying to answer two questions: can Jaxson Dart carry the offense in his second season, and can a retooled defense actually stop the run. The early returns on the second question keep pointing to the same name — rookie linebacker Arvell Reese.

Reese, the No. 5 overall pick out of Ohio State, has been a consistent presence in camp reports since OTAs began. According to ClutchPoints, Reese stood out early for his range and closing speed, showing he could run with receivers and deliver hits despite his size — a rare combination for a linebacker built like him.

Now that camp has shifted from OTAs to padded practices, the praise has only grown louder.

Schrager’s RoboCop Comparison

ESPN’s Peter Schrager named Reese to his list of top five “impact rookies” heading into the 2026 season, and he didn’t hold back describing what he saw firsthand. Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Schrager offered a blunt visual for the 6-foot-4, 241-pound linebacker.

“Arvell Reese looks like RoboCop. He’s enormous, with huge arms, and he has this entire look to him where you’re like, ‘OK, that guy is playing inside linebacker next to Tremaine Edmunds. They both look like they’re absolute beasts in the middle,” Schrager said.

Schrager added that Reese has been quietly building his reputation rather than talking about it: “What they’re seeing is Reese doesn’t talk. Doesn’t say a word. He’s just in the facility all day long, studying and getting better and nailing guys, dominating games as a rookie.”

Pat McAfee posted the clip on X, summarizing his own camp visit in similar terms. He wrote that Reese “looks like RoboCop,” calling him “enormous” and “an absolute beast” who’s “in the facility all day long getting better” —

"I was at Giants camp and Arvell Reese looks like RoboCop..

He's enormous and he's an absolute beast..

He's in the facility all day long getting better"@PSchrags #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/b5n4RwmYLu

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2026

Why the Giants Bet Big on Reese

The pick made sense on paper the moment it happened, even if it surprised some outside evaluators who expected New York to address other needs. The Giants’ run defense was the worst in the league a year ago, and it wasn’t close. New York allowed 5.5 yards per carry to running backs in 2025 — the league’s worst mark, three-tenths of a yard behind the next-closest team.

General manager Joe Schoen and the front office didn’t spend a top-five pick and a four-year, $47.8 million rookie contract to develop a situational player. They spent it because the position broke the defense down the middle. Tremaine Edmunds arrived in free agency to help fix that, and Reese was drafted to line up next to him.

Those numbers, paired with All-American honors and the Big Ten’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award, are part of why the coaching staff is already comfortable throwing him into the deep end early in camp — including reps against the starting offensive line.

What It Means Heading Into Preseason

None of this guarantees Reese starts Week 1. Camp hype is camp hype, and rookies who look unstoppable in shorts and helmets don’t always translate that instantly into regular-season snaps. But the pattern — dominant reps against veteran linemen, praise from national media, and a defense that badly needed exactly what he offers — suggests the Giants may not be able to keep him off the field even if they wanted to.

Fans hungry for anything resembling stability have reason to pay attention. New York has reached the playoffs just twice in the last 14 years, and a defense that can actually stop the run would go a long way toward changing that math.

Reese and the Giants get their first real test outside of practice on Saturday, Aug. 15, when New York opens its preseason slate at home against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium.