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The peculiar case of Sonny Styles (by @Tiller56)

· Yahoo Sports

Washington general manager Adam Peters set out to overhaul the oldest roster in the NFL this offseason – and he did a miraculous job in doing just that.

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Peters focused heavily on the defensive side of the ball where the Commanders ranked in the bottom three in the league in most metrics. He dished out multi-year deals to EDGE Odafe Oweh, defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr., linebacker Leo Chenal, corner back Amik Robertson and safety Nick Cross. He also added veteran EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, defensive lineman Charles Omenihu, and re-signed Detrich Wise, Drake Jackson and Shy Tuttle – all to one-year deals.

Needless to say, this defense will take on a completely new look under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones in 2026.

Despite this massive 180, there could still be some big changes coming to the defensive side of the ball when the NFL Draft gets underway next month.

One prospect that the staff and fans alike are closely monitoring is Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.

Sonny Styles

Standing at an imposing 6’5” and weighing 244 pounds, Styles opened eyes this past February at the NFL scouting combine posting mind-blowing numbers in his athletic testing.

  • 40yd dash: 4.46
  • 10yd split: 1.56
  • Vertical: 43.5”
  • Broad: 11’2”
  • 3-Cone: 7.09
  • Short-Shuttle: 4.26

Styles began his career in 2022 at Ohio State as a safety. He spent two years playing as a “box” defender where he appeared in 23 games (12 starts) recording 62 total tackles, four for a loss, two sacks, one pass defended and zero interceptions.

He was converted to linebacker in the spring of 2024 and that is where he’s since made his mark. During that 2024 season, he recorded a team-leading 100 total tackles with 10.5 of those going for a loss, six sacks and five passes defended over 16 games (including a National Championship). He was named to the All-Big Ten second team.

In 2025, Styles continued to man the middle of the Ohio State defense, being tasked with calling the plays for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Through 14 games, he racked up 82 total tackles, six-and-a-half for a loss, one sack and got the first interception of his career while recording three passes defended. He was named a first-team All-American by multiple outlets.

Because of his rapid rise as an off-the-ball linebacker and his amazing size and athleticism, Styles has been projected as a top 10 draft pick and holds comps that include Fred Warner and Kyle Hamilton.

As you can see from the two player comps I listed above, these are two very different type of players.

Fred Warner was a pure linebacker who played at BYU from 2014-2017. He was a four-year contributor and three-year starter for the Cougars. He amassed an impressive 264 combined tackles, 32 of them going for a loss, with seven career interceptions. He did not have the same straight-line speed and explosion as Styles during testing, but his short-area quickness was right in line with the Buckeye defender. Warner was lauded for having incredible instincts and a nose for the football. He was selected in the third round (70th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers, where he would go on to post seven straight 100+ tackle season (up until an injury-shortened 2025), and be named a first-team All-Pro four times. He’s widely regarded as one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL today.

Kyle Hamilton was a strong safety for the Fighting Irish. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman and recorded 41 total tackles, one for a loss and four interceptions while being names to the Freshman All-American team. He started 11 games as a sophomore at strong safety and had 65 total tackles, four-and-a-half for a loss and an interception. He played in just seven games as a Junior before injuring his knee causing him to miss the remainder of the season. He finished with 34 total tackles, two for a loss and picked off three passes. He was named as a consensus All-American. He entered the NFL draft following his true junior season and was selected 14th overall by the Ravens. He is a three-time All-Pro (two first team and one second team selections) and has made three Pro Bowls. He’s widely regarded as the best hybrid safety in the NFL.

To me, Sonny Styles is a polarizing prospect. He is still learning the middle linebacker position and with his size and athleticism, his ceiling is extremely high. He’s not a pure thumper in the mold of a Ray Lewis or Patrick Willis. He’s not as cerebral yet like Warner or Luke Kuechly, and despite being a former safety, he doesn’t have the cover skills of a Dre Greenlaw or Roquan Smith.

What Sonny Styles does possess is a blank slate for a defensive coordinator to potentially paint his perfect linebacker prospect.

  • Styles as a MIKE, shedding the block of the right tackle and stopping the running back for a short gain. This is one of my favorite plays I’ve watched from him.
  • In this clip, you see Styles coming off the edge on a blitz. Love the active hands here as his disengages quickly from the block.
  • Here you see Styles asked to play as a spy. Watch the burst and explosion as he tracks down the quarterback.
  • This is next-level play recognition.
  • Styles possesses fluid hips for a guy his size and can easily drop into coverage and react quickly to the ball.

I do have some concerns with his game that I feel will need to be cleaned up.

  • In 2024, Styles had an 18% missed tackle rate. In 2025, he dropped that down to ZERO – however, he sometimes tends to play too high and doesn’t un-coil at the point of impact.
  • Styles needs to get better as a blitzer in between the C-Gaps (something Daronte Jones likes to do with his linebackers). Here you see him playing with a high pad level exposing his chest to the running back.

For a former safety, there are some coverage concerns for me. He’s not as smooth as I’d like when dropping into zone coverage and his ball production throughout his time at Ohio State was very underwhelming. For an off-the-ball linebacker to be select inside the top 7, they would almost need to be labeled as “generational”; not just a “traits” or “developmental” prospect.

What makes Sonny Styles peculiar?

There are two players that I have compared to Sonny Styles – and maybe unfairly. Isaiah Simmons and Jamin Davis.

Isaiah Simmons was a 6’4” 240 pound former-safety-turned-linebacker from Clemson. Much like Styles, he earned playing time at strong safety as a freshman (redshirted). Much like Styles, he was selected as an All-American at linebacker during his final year at Clemson. His athleticism was off-the-charts, posting a 4.39 40, 39” vertical and 11’ broad jump during the 2020 NFL Combine. He was selected with the eighth overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. He never really took off as an inside linebacker with the Cardinals; despite possessing all the “traits” you’d want to see in today’s off-the-ball defender. He lasted just three years with Arizona before being traded prior to the start of the 2023 season to the Giants for a seventh-round pick. The Giants tried to move Simmons back to strong safety, and despite playing in all 17 games in 2023 and 2024, he never made the impact they had hoped. He signed with the Packers as a free agent in 2025 but was part of final roster cuts. He sat as a free agent until the Panthers signed him to their practice squad in late November.

We know the case of Jamin Davis all too well. Unlike Styles, he started his career at Kentucky as a linebacker. He saw limited playing time as a freshman, but things began coming together for him as a sophomore. He truly broke out as a junior, where he totaled 102 combined tackles, four for a loss, one-and-a-half sacks and three interceptions. He absolutely blew up the combine, measuring 6’3 1/2 234 pounds, and posted a 4.47 40, 42’ vertical and a 11’ broad jump. He was viewed as a developmental prospect with all the desired traits to become a great off-the-ball linebacker and was chosen 19th overall by Ron Rivera. We all know the rest of this story…

So, what type of player will the NFL be getting with Sonny Styles?

If I am taking a pure off-the-ball linebacker (a non-premium position) with the seventh overall pick, they better be generational and NFL ready. As we already discussed, Fred Warner, who may be heading to the Hall of Fame, was taken in round three. Ray Lewis, who some consider to be the best pure linebacker in NFL history was taken with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 draft. The great Luke Kuechly, who may have been the best pro-ready college linebacker I have ever seen, was selected eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Even Patrick Willis, who I had the pleasure of meeting and doing a short interview with, was taken outside the top 10 (11th overall in 2007). These all turned out to be very special players as off-the-ball linebackers.

The question I have with Styles is what type of player are you getting? Are you getting the prototypical MIKE linebacker like we saw during his final two years at Ohio State – a guy who can wear the green dot and be the field general? Or will you get the hybrid safety – a Kyle Hamilton type if you will, who can be deployed all over the defense as that almost “positionless” defender?

Although this may be a bit of a peculiar case, I think this is a good dilemma to have for an innovative defensive coordinator. What will need to be determined is if he’s more of a height/weight/speed guy, or a positionless weapon who can be deployed all over the field.

If you believe you are getting the SKILLS of Fred Warner combined with Kyle Hamilton, sign me up if he’s there at pick 7. If you combine the TRAITS of Isaiah Simmons and Jamin Davis and tell me that’s what we see in the seventh overall pick, I have reasons to be skeptical.

Overall, this is why NFL general managers make the big money – for tough, franchise-altering decisions exactly like this!

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