1 and Giants linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 2. Edholm writes that the 2026 draft class is 'absolutely LOADED' at off-ball linebacker, a position that rarely generates pre-draft buzz — yet this cycle produced two freakish Buckeyes who both came off the board as top-10 picks. The pair made his selection 'the easiest' on the list, with so many viable linebackers that he had to omit names like Jaishawn Barham and Harold Perkins Jr. to keep the rundown from becoming a pure linebacker list.

What makes the pairing remarkable is that both players wear No. 52, as CBS Sports' Carter Bahns notes, and became the first college linebacker teammates ever selected in the top 10 of the same NFL Draft. At No. 5, the Giants faced a genuine debate over which Buckeye to take, and Bahns concludes 'there might not have been a wrong answer.' Edholm admits it was 'a toss-up between Reese and Styles for the No. 1 spot.' nfl.com also stresses that Styles 'doesn't have the best stats among rookie defenders,' yet 'it sure feels like he's popped the most' — a consensus-breaking, eye-test call rather than a stat-driven one.

nfl.com details Styles' Week 1 sack in which he 'bulldozed' Saquon Barkley, and his NFC Defensive Player of the Week award after five tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception in Washington's upset of the champion Seahawks. CBS Sports says Styles boasts the highest pressure rate among rookie defenders with at least 25 pass-rush snaps at 17.9%. Reese, meanwhile, leads the entire NFL with 26 solo tackles per nfl.com, and CBS Sports reports he earned Week 4 Rookie of the Week honors after becoming the fifth Giants rookie with three passes defended and an interception in one game.

CBS Sports' verdict is that the debate is a wash: per Pro Football Focus data cited by Bahns, Reese graded 77.1 as the ninth-best of 74 qualified linebackers in coverage while Styles sits at 76.9 and No. 3, with both in the top five among rookie linebackers in overall PFF defensive grade. DraftKings odds cited by CBS Sports make Reese the second favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year at +275 and Styles third at +750. Big Blue View's Ed Valentine adds Bill Barnwell of ESPN has made Reese his current DROY favorite, praising a player who 'stuff[s] the stat sheet.'

Big Blue View frames the comparison as one 'these two former Ohio State linebackers might be compared for a long time,' noting the Giants could have had Styles playing next to Tremaine Edmunds. GMEN HQ argues Arvell Reese already has the Giants emerging as the draft's biggest winner, pointing out the Jets passed on him for Texas Tech's David Bailey at No. 2, and that PFF named Reese to its second-team All-Pro defense through the first quarter. The Giants' 3-1 start and first place in the NFC East — their first since November 2015, per GMEN HQ — is credited largely to Reese and a defense missing Brian Burns to a torn ACL.

The two rookies meet directly when Reese's Giants visit Styles' Commanders — a matchup nfl.com explicitly flags as 'an easy opportunity to compare their games.' Big Blue View quotes draft analysts on both sides: Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic calls Styles 'a tick ahead' in coverage while predicting Reese will be the more impactful front-seven defender long term, and Draft on SI's Justin Melo says the Giants 'should feel vindicated.' Hogs Haven's Andrew York compares Styles' humble demeanor to a young Bobby Wagner. Both outlets' scouts expect both to be long-time starters — 'one of those rare cases where both teams got it right,' per Land Grant Holy Land's Cole VanWeichen.