Sonny Styles NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Washington Commanders LB

Matt HolderOct 12, 2025

The Washington Commanders selected Ohio State LB Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Sonny Styles is an impressive athlete with the necessary skills to be an excellent coverage linebacker in the NFL and a top-tier backer in the 2026 NFL draft class.

Styles stands at 6'5" and 244 pounds and entered Ohio State as a 5-star recruit at safety in the 2022 class, per 247Sports.

He didn't get much playing time as a true freshman on the Buckeyes' deep defense, but he became an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection as a defensive back with 53 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and one defended pass in year two.

In 2024, the versatile defender switched positions and burst onto the scene with 100 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, six sacks and five PDs, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors during Ohio State's National Championship run.

Styles became a first-team All-American this past season, due in part to racking up 82 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, a sack, an interception and three PDs.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Scroll down for the complete scouting report.

Where He Wins

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- Very good athlete for a linebacker who has good eyes in man and zone coverages to locate threats and/or avoid pick routes.

- Movement skills, fluid hips and speed allow him to cover tight ends and running backs in man coverage or carry wide receivers on vertical routes when playing Tampa 2.

- Impressive speed to close on ball carriers, either when clicking and closing in coverage or when it comes to his sideline-to-sideline range against the run.

- Effective open-field tackler, Styles has the athleticism to avoid getting juked out in space, breaks down before contact and has long arms to increase his tackle radius.

- Physical player against the run and takes on blocks with his hands to help get extension when he adds more strength.

- Has showed the ability to use his movement skills to slip blocks from offensive linemen when they climb to the second level.

Areas of Improvement

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Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Ohio State v Texas

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- Can get caught staring into the backfield against the run, putting him in a bad position to take on blocks and occasionally leading to him getting caught in the trash.

- A little thin for his height, could afford to add some size and strength to have more pop behind his pads when coming downhill and hold his ground against stronger offensive linemen.

- Also lacks some upper body strength to stack and shed blocks, and needs to develop a move to escape.

- Bites hard against run fakes on play action.