INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh is going to love Sonny Styles. Maybe he already does.
The Giants have already met with the talented Ohio State off-ball linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine, a meeting that Styles described as “awesome.”
Could Styles actually be in play for the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? Positional value would tell you that an off-ball linebacker is generally not a player a team would select that early in Round 1. Consider,
though, something Harbaugh said on Tuesday while meeting with New York media members.
“Positional value is a little bit new but you always knew that the quarterback was really important,” Harbaugh said. “You always knew that corners were really important especially if you’re playing man coverage.
“It just kind of depends on what you need. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to put as many good football players that play the way you want to play. You’ve got to put as many good football players as you can out there so you don’t want to sacrifice a really good player because it’s not a need or a value position.”
Harbaugh then specifically addressed the off-ball linebacker position’s importance to the run defense, a weakness for the Giants in recent seasons.
“They’re all important,” Harbaugh said. “The inside linebacker isn’t always considered a value position but you can’t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle. You can’t do it. That becomes pretty important.
“I just think everything’s important.”
General manager Joe Schoen on Tuesday indicated Harbaugh has made clear how big a priority fixing the run defense has to be.
“Coach and I have talked about that a lot. Stopping the run is very important to Coach Harbaugh. It’s important to everybody,” Schoen said. “It’s just something we haven’t done well. So that is definitely something that we’ll be conscious of this offseason in terms of how we’re going to be able to do that better.”
So, yes, it seems obvious Harbaugh would consider an off-ball linebacker at No. 5.
Styles’ talent is apparent. The 6-foot-3¾, 243-pound converted safety is the No. 7-ranked player on the Sports Info Solutions big board. SIS says:
Styles is a steadily improving off-ball linebacker with exceptional athleticism, coverage skills, and toughness against the run who still has loads of potential to reach as he moves to the NFL.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Styles as the fifth-ranked player on his top 50 prospects list. Jeremiah writes:
Styles is a tall, long and rangy linebacker prospect. He made a smooth transition from safety to linebacker during his college career. In the run game, he’s quick to key, read and fill to make tackles. He uses his length to press off blocks and has outstanding lateral range to pick up production on the perimeter. He’s a firm, reliable tackler with stopping power on contact. Styles is outstanding in coverage. He can carry slot receivers down the seam and smoothly mirrors tight ends all over the field. He’s an explosive blitzer and will run over running backs who try to block him in pass pro. Styles’ performance in the Big Ten title game against Indiana answered any questions about his game, as he was the best defender on the field in that matchup. He reminds me of Fred Warner as a player.
Styles was impressive on Wednesday morning when he stepped to the podium to speak to the media horde at the Combine.
Harbaugh talks incessantly about wanting players who love football.
“They’ve got to love football,” Harbaugh said Tuesday about the type of players he wants. “You want a bunch of people that understand that that’s what we’re here for and that can fit the type of team we want to play, the values that we’re looking for.
“We want good, tough, hard-nosed players that want to play hard, that are team-first type people that like every part of football, meetings, weightlifting, practice, preparation, like being around the guys and the gals who are involved in it, and they want to go out there on Sunday and let it rip. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Reality is, not everyone who plays the game — even at the highest level — loves the game. During his media scrum, Styles’ passion for the sport and his willingness to put team over self were apparent.
“I’ve been playing since I was four years old. I just love to compete, for one. That’s the most fun part,” Styles said. “Two, I would say the brotherhood. Being on a football team, especially when you get to college, there’s a hundred guys and all those guys become your brothers and being able to go through the offseason, guys lay it on the line together through this hard training, then you get to the season and the trust is just there. So that part, I would say competitiveness and the brotherhood.”
Styles spoke about his meeting with the Giants and how he could help the team’s porous run defense.
“Coach Harbaugh was great. Coach [Frank] Bush was great,” he said. “I think the way I can improve the run defense, I think just being in the middle like with this past year when I was playing the MIKE this past year, I feel like I had a great feel for what was coming the way I studied the game. I thought I showed physical hands on film, physical strike. I thought I showed some sure tacklingg this past year for the most part.
“So just coming in the building, earning the trust of the guys in front of me, you gotta make sure the defensive line in front of you trusts you. Earning the trust of the guys in the room, earning the trust of the guys behind me, and then being able to command the defense. If I was called to be the MIKE.”
Styles showed during his podium session that he has a feel for what he is — and is not — as a a player.
“I think it starts with being a versatile linebacker. I think I can play the MIKE, WILL, SAM, I think I can do all three at a high level,” Styles said. “And I think I’m very athletic player and I think that shows up in my game. I think I showed this last year that I was able to be a true MIKE. I think I showed I could stop the run, showed some physicality this year.
“And I think in the upside of it, I think I can be a lot more effective in zone coverage as I keep working that part of my game. And I think I’ve shown, I, I can feel routes and things like that, but not a lot of ball disruption, especially this past year. And I think with my athleticism because I keep working on that I should be a real threat in in zone drops.”
Styles converted from safety to linebacker in his third season at Ohio State. He didn’t do it because he thought it would be better for him. He did it because he thought it was best for the Buckeyes.
“I remember when I made the decision going into my spring, my junior year. I’m glad I did it,” Styles said. “At the time I was doing it, it was trying to help the team felt like that was the best spot for us to win and I felt like it was a spot I could do well at, but most importantly helped the team. So in the long run it worked out and I’m glad it did.”
Something else Styles said that stuck out because it told something about his values came when he was asked what legacy he hoped he left at Ohio State.
“I think most importantly, at least what’s most important to me is the kind of person I was,” Styles said. “I always treated people the right way. I felt like I was a good teammate. I was a guy you could talk to. I felt like from the coach’s perspective, I was a guy who was consistent and reliable.
“But most importantly when I come back in a few years, whatever it may be, I think people are gonna remember the way I treated them.”
An off-ball linebacker is often the signal-caller of the defense, so he has to be able to lead.
“I think first and foremost, I lead by example. I show up and do the right thing every day. Try and lead guys in the right direction,” Styles said. “Second, I’m a big relationship guy. I like to build relationships with my teammates. Then when things go on, you’re able to have a conversation with him and you guys have that relationship. So you’re able to talk.”
Being unselfish also doesn’t hurt. As mentioned above, moving to safety was about what was best for the team and not for Styles. As a linebacker Styles had six sacks in 2024, but just one in 2025. That was because Ohio State had Arvell Reese and other players to do that.
Styles knew that by having Reese rush while Styles spent more time in coverage, Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was doing what was best for the team.
“I didn’t really mind,” Styles said. “I think we were putting guys in positions to do what they were best at. On third down if you want to take Arvell and let him rush that’s what he’s best at. It made sense to put me in coverage. That makes sense, so I didn’t mind at all.
“Honestly, he [Patricia] probably wanted me to rush more. I told him, Coach, whatever you want me to do it doesn’t matter to me.”
As a player, Styles draws comparisons to San Francisco 49ers star Fred Warner, a four-time First-Team All-Pro in eight seasons.
“I don’t mind that,” Styles said. “He’s a great player, one of the best players in the NFL. So, I don’t mind the comparison at all.”
Adding a Fred Warner-caliber player, if that’s what Styles becomes, cannot be a bad thing. Regardless of the positional value.
