‘Predator’ and ‘Baby Predator’.
That is what a mic’d up Brian Burns was heard calling off-ball linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese after an Edmunds interception during a mandatory minicamp practice this week.
As nicknames go, those aren’t bad. They might stick for the Giants’ new off-ball linebacker duo.
Edmunds, entering his ninth season, and Reese, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, embody the bigger, fast bully that new head coach John Harbaugh has been hoping to build.
Edmunds
is listed at 6-foot-4 (I guarantee he is bigger than that after standing near him during minicamp), 251 pounds. He has a 97th percentile wing span. Reese is listed at 6-4, 243. He has 98th percentile speed when compared to edge defenders, per Mock Draftable.
They replace Bobby Okereke (6-2, 235) and Micah McFadden (6-2, 232) in the middle of the Giants defense.
“They look like us,” said edge defender Brian Burns.
‘Predator’ and ‘Baby Predator’, indeed.
“Man, they look like – I don’t know. I [have] never seen a linebacker duo like that, just off first glance,” Burns said.
Burns, in his eighth season, has appreciated Reese’s “be seen, not heard” attitude.
“Arvell has been amazing,” Burns said. “I always speak to when he said like he wants to be seen, not heard. And he’s embodying that every day. He don’t speak out too much, don’t talk back or nothing like that. He just does what he’s told, works hard, and it’s showing up on the film, and he’s earning the respect of the older guys for sure. I really appreciate him coming in like that.
“And him and Tremaine look scary as hell. If I was [Jaxson] Dart – yeah, I’d be nervous.”
The Giants have talked about the space that Edmunds and Reese take up in the middle of the field with their size and athleticism. Assistant GM Brandon Brown compared them to rim protectors on a basketball team.
“It’s hard where you are going to have to layer those throws,” Brown said.
Edmunds’ interception of Jameis Winston during minicamp came on a zone drop where he used his height and 83-inch wingspan to reach up and pluck a ball out of the air that Winston tried to get over him.
“It’s still early for both of us,” Edmunds said during a minicamp press conference. “He [Reese] just got here a couple weeks ago. I just got here. A lot of it is just learning the playbook. I’m not going to lie. So, a lot of it is just us learning it, and then as we learn it, we can start playing off one another. That’s what football is. It’s both of our first time in the system. Like I said, it’s not like I’ve been with him for a year, but at the same time we’re still picking up off one another. So, if something comes up, he’s a fast learner; I’m a fast learner. We get it right, so we won’t mess up again.
“He’s extremely hard-working. I’m going to take my hat off to him for that. You can tell he comes from a good system as far as what he was doing in college, so he picks up on information fast.”
Few thought Reese would be available when the Giants selected at No. 5. Many could not see the fit because they looked at Reese as Micah Parsons, a player who would transition to the outside in the NFL.
Reese did not see it that way. Neither did the Giants.
“I’m actually happy that it ended up this way, I think,” Reese said during minicamp. “This is the perfect situation for me, me being able to play linebacker, then when it’s time, getting unique with me. But just playing linebacker, that’s where I feel I’m most comfortable playing.
“I’m a linebacker.”
What has Reese learned about Edmunds?
“I feel like he’s a great leader. I feel like he leads the defense well. He communicates well,” Reese said. “He’s been on me about communicating every play, so that’s how we do every play, we’re making sure we’re talking to each other.
“Great in space. Great in coverage. He’s a lanky guy. So, he’s got a bunch of good traits about him.”
Reese played on a great Ohio State defense with linebacker Sonny Styles, drafted No. 7 by the Washington Commanders, Caleb Downs, drafted No. 11 by the Dallas Cowbous, and Kayden McDonald, drafted No. 36 by the Houston Texans. So, he knows what defense is supposed to look like.
Reese sees the potential of his pairing with Edmunds.
“I see great potential with that, not just us being tall, lanky guys,” Reese said. “We’re guys who got a knack to get toward the football. So, I think there’s going to be some great things going forward with us two.”
