Ahead of the 2026 season, the New York Giants have made upgrades to their defense. It was done through free agency and the NFL draft. One key addition to the Giants’ defense was the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese. With the 2026 season on the horizon, who is standing in the way of Giants rookie Arvell Reese winning Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Per betting lines on DraftKings, Reese is not the favorite to win DROY in 2026. In fact, a few players have better odds than Reese to win the award. That includes former Miami Hurricane Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey out of Texas Tech. Both players are (+500) to win DROY in 2026, while Reese has odds of (+650). Which player will take home the prestigious award next year?
Can Giants rookie Arvell Reese win DROY in 2026?
Reese has the raw potential to have an impressive rookie season
The Giants had Reese as the top player on their draft board in 2026. When Reese was available for New York at pick number five, they did not hesitate. Reese was one of the most talented defensive prospects in the 2026 draft class. During his 2025 campaign with the Buckeyes, Reese finished with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and six and a half sacks. In college, Reese proved his versatility.
He would line up as an edge rusher and also play off-ball linebacker for Ohio State. As a member of the Giants, Reese is expected primarily to play off-ball linebacker. Reese will play alongside veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. His head coach for the Giants is John Harbaugh. In his 18 seasons coaching in the NFL, one player has won DROY under his watch. That was two-time Super Bowl champion Terrell Suggs.
As a rookie for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, Suggs took home the honors of winning DROY. He finished that season with 29 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, one interception, three passes defended, six forced fumbles, and 12.0 sacks. Can Giants rookie Arvell Reese scratch the surface of his potential in year one? According to DraftKings, Reese is (+650) to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Will Rueben Bain steal DROY from Reese?
In the 2026 NFL draft, Bain was the 15th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was three seasons collegiately at the University of Miami. As a freshman, Bain finished with 7.5 sacks. For his career with the Hurricanes, Bain finished with 20.5 sacks. Including 9.5 sacks in 2025 and earning first-team All-American honors. He also recorded 54 combined tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and one interception last season.
Bain has a chance to make franchise history for Tampa Bay in 2026. No Buccaneers player has ever won Defensive Rookie of the Year despite the team having a rich history of great defensive talent. Can Bain be the first? Over the last 10 seasons, an edge rusher has won DROY six times. The odds favor someone like Bain, who lines up at edge rusher. Will the 21-year-old adjust quickly to life in the NFL? He is currently (+500) to win DROY in 2026.
David Bailey will share a stadium with Arvell Reese
Many NFL scouts predicted Reese would be the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. However, that honor went to David Bailey out of Texas Tech. He was selected by the New York Jets. Bailey played four seasons collegiately. His first three were with Stanford, and his 2025 campaign was played for the Red Raiders. Bailey saw his production skyrocket as a senior in 2025. Previously, his career-high for sacks in a season was 7.0 in 2024. Bailey blew that number out of the water in 2025.
His 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks led all Division 1 players last season. Bailey had an outstanding senior year, and it’s no surprise he was a top-two pick. He is joining a Jets roster that needs help at pass rusher. Since 2000, three Jets have won Defensive Rookie of the Year. That includes Jonathan Vilma in 2004, Sheldon Richardson in 2013, and Sauce Gardner in 2022. Can Bailey be the fourth New York Jet to win the award in the last 20+ years?
Main Photo: [John Jones] – Imagn Images
