Background

Sonny Styles grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, roughly 20 minutes from Ohio Stadium, the son of Lorenzo Styles Sr., who played linebacker at Ohio State from 1992 to 1994 before a six-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams that included winning Super Bowl XXXIV. His mother, Laverna, is also an Ohio State graduate. His older brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., played wide receiver at Notre Dame before transferring to Ohio State and moving to safety, where the two played together. Styles attended Pickerington Central High School, where he starred in both football and basketball. A consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked safety in the 2023 class, he reclassified, skipped his senior year, and enrolled at Ohio State in June 2022 as a 17-year-old. He played in 12 games as a true freshman in the secondary, then earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten as a safety in 2023 with 53 tackles, 5 TFL, and 2 sacks. Transitioning to linebacker in 2024 proved seamless for him, as he recorded 100 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6 sacks, and a forced fumble in all 16 games of Ohio State's national championship season, with 24 tackles and 2 sacks in four playoff victories against Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, leading to his Second-Team All-Big Ten selection. In 2025, he was made team co-captain and received the Block "O" Award, garnered First-Team All-Big Ten and First-Team All-American honors from The Sporting News, and concluded the season with 83 tackles and an interception. He has graduated with a degree in sport industry. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

There is no secret that Sonny Styles is a freak athlete. The only thing to highlight is his relative lack of agility, because that is clear on the field as well. His lateral quickness is fine, but it limits him from moving from gap to gap in the run game and making more plays on the ball carrier. Or avoiding blockers by sidestepping them. It is a small gripe, but at the position, it matters because it makes him more reliant on correct initial decisions than other LBs who can flit around better.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my LB radar charts, you can find more information here

Styles' radar chart highlights his strengths as a run-stopper and coverage specialist. That should be no surprise with his background as a safety, but it also makes me wonder if some inventive DC will try to use him as a big nickel in some packages. His man coverage ability does not quite line up with what you would like, but depending on his team, would you rather he refined as a pass rusher or coverage specialist?

I mentioned it above in the physical section, but while Styles is a phenomenal run defender, I have some worries about his ability to translate it to the next level. Styles has to be overly reliant on making the correct decision about which gap to fill because he does not move laterally all too well. This, in combination with his slight hesitation in IDing plays and where they are going, can put him in a disadvantageous situation. He often overcomes it with his incredible straight-line athleticism and ability to fire at a spot quicker than nearly anyone, but it is something to pay attention to.

He stays off blocks very well and can come off most with ease, which makes him a constant threat to end the play. Stronger RBs do trouble his play strength and push him back, but he pretty much always finishes the play. 58 tackles on the year and he did not miss one.

As a pass rusher, Styles has a lot to improve on. Unlike his teammate Arvell Reese, who is being spoken about as an EDGE, I do not think I heard anyone bring that up for Styles. The reason is obvious: he does not have bend or any kind of pass-rushing plan. Every blitz comprises him running in a straight line as fast as possible directly at the QB. That led to 10 hurries and 1 sack, but once he hits a blocker and gets the initial pushback, things do not progress from there. In the league he will have to learn a club or a bend in order to become more effective and use his full athletic potential.

Even though Styles is not a great lateral mover, his ability to swivel his hips and turn direction makes him such a great coverage linebacker. Between that and his ability to follow the QBs eyes while being attentive to the space he handles, you can really see his safety DNA. Although coaches rarely had him cover receivers alone, I would not worry about his ability to cover most tight ends, even the most skilled ones, as he could likely keep pace with them.

Grade and Outlook

Styles has the potential to be one of the top LBs in the league, and his versatility will be super valuable in the modern NFL. I am interested to see what development path his team puts him down, as I can see him becoming a near positionless defensive weapon in his best-case scenario. Though, with a little worry about his ability to be a top-level run stopper, and unsure how that development could pan out, I have to knock him a tiny bit.

Grade: 6.5 (1st Rounder)