Giants Begin Integrating First-Round Pick Arvell Reese at Rookie Minicamp

J. Harbaugh had all seven draft picks, including Reese and fellow first-rounder Francis Mauigoa, participate in individual and 11-on-11 drills rather than sit out as under predecessor Brian Daboll. He pulled Reese aside at one point for one-on-one block-shedding instruction.

“I thought he moved well,” Harbaugh said. “He is 6-foot-4-plus, 240-some pounds. Yet he moves like a smaller guy. He moves his feet. He can flip his hips. Very natural-looking mover off the ball, which was something we saw on tape.

5 sacks in his lone season starting for Ohio State. The Giants did not expect Reese to be available at the No. 5 overall pick after he had been the favorite to go to the Jets at No.

2 for much of the predraft process. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown said most evaluators viewed Reese as an edge rusher, but the Giants see him as a stand-up weakside linebacker. Brown said the team has seen Reese’s ability to command the huddle in the last couple days.

Second-round cornerback Colton Hood, who trained with Reese before the NFL combine, said the linebacker’s size and smarts stood out immediately. “You see how big he is,” Hood said. “He came up [to the podium] and probably looked like The Hulk, you know?

His physical abilities, and not just that, but he’s a smart football player. He knows football. ” Brown noted that Reese will line up next to 6-foot-4 inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, creating a pair of tall linebackers who can serve as rim protectors in pass defense.

“You have two guys who are 6-foot-4,” Brown said. “Defending the pass, you’ve got a rim protector, you would say. ” Harbaugh teased Reese’s versatility being used off the ball as well as at defensive end.

Brown said the Giants want to marry the rush with coverage. “[Reese] can do it from multiple alignments. Abdul [Carter] can do it from multiple assignments. You talk about getting your NASCAR package out there and deploying the rush.

Reese credited linebackers coach Frank Bush for preparing him and sixth-round middle linebacker Jack Kelly before rookie minicamp. “He spent a lot of time pouring the playbook into us,” Reese said. Reese described the minicamp experience in positive terms.

“It was everything I ever dreamed of. ” He outlined his approach as a newcomer. “I want to show the team right away that I’m one of those guys that would rather be seen and not heard. Especially as a rookie, that’s what you have to do.

You have to know what you’re doing on the field before you say what you’re about. ” Reese added that the variety of roles excited him. com reported that rookie minicamp served as a fast rehearsal for integration with veterans in upcoming OTAs, and that no red flags emerged regarding Reese’s practice commitment or physical tools.