We may have witnessed history on the first night of the 2026 NFL Combine with the workout of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Styles was already the top linebacker on the board thanks to his great tape and didn’t need the workout to boost his stock. So, it was almost a surprise when it was announced that he’d work out at the Combine. Likewise, it was known that Styles is a great athlete and expected to put on a show. But we didn’t expect what Styles delivered.
New York Giants fans are clamoring
for a defensive player at fifth overall to add speed after the defense failed to live up to expectations in 2025. Has Styles’ impressive workout put him in the mix for the Giants at the top of the draft?
Prospect: Sonny Styles (0)
Games Watched: vs. Oregon (2024), vs. Texas (2025) vs. Indiana (2025), vs. Miami (2025)
Red Flags: none
Measurables
RAS.football)" />
Strengths
Best traits
- Athleticism
- Mental processing
- Size
- Scheme and alignment versatility
- Run defense
- Pass coverage
Styles has an elite blend of size and athleticism for an off-ball linebacker at the NFL level. He might be, for his size, the most athletic linebacker to ever enter the NFL
His size, speed, athleticism, and skill set makes him a versatile defender who’s able to play both inside and outside linebacker, strong and weak side, on the line of scrimmage, and cover in the slot.
Styles is fast, with great acceleration as well as a closing burst at the point of attack. Likewise, he isn’t a linear player and is remarkably agile with great lower-body fluidity. Styles is able to flip his hips and run with tight ends and running backs in coverage, as well as navigate the trash around the line of scrimmage. He’s easily able to get depth and hit his landmarks when dropping into coverage zones and does a good job of avoiding schemed traffic from route concepts.
He’s a very active communicator in the pre-snap phase of the play, making adjustments, relaying information to his teammates, and helping to get them lined up in Matt Patricia’s sophisticated defense. Styles typically diagnoses the play quickly and accurately, and makes an accurate first move in the direction of the play. He is a very capable run defender who has an excellent feel for angles and leveraging the ball.
Styles has a very quick downhill trigger from zone coverage and usually flies to his run fit. He uses his length well and has great play strength taking on offensive line blocks. His quickness and agility allow him to make subtle adjustments as he engages linemen, putting his hips in the gap and allowing him to make plays off of blocks. He’s a physical defender who doesn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty in short yardage situations and typically offers good effort in pursuit.
Finally, Styles has legitimate upside as a blitzing linebacker. His speed into the backfield makes him a difficult match-up for linemen, while his size makes him a headache for running backs or tight ends. Styles typically times his blitzes well and his alignment versatility gives him a variety of entry points. He wasn’t asked to rush the passer often in Matt Patricia’s defense, but the upside is there for an aggressive blitzing scheme.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Experience at the position
There are very few true weaknesses in Styles’ game or profile, and most of them are linked to his relative inexperience at the position. Styles started his career as a safety, adding mass and switching to linebacker for the good of the team in 2024.
As such, there are some instances where he has a slight hesitation while he diagnoses before launching into action. He can also bite a bit too hard on misdirection, pulling him out of position. He could also stand to improve in his block deconstruction, as blocks can be a bit sticky if the blocker beats him to a landmark in space and initiates contact.
Outside of continuing to improve his technique and gaining experience, Styles’ size might impose some limitations on his game. While he has the size and strength to match up with tight ends or take on offensive linemen, and he’s a remarkably fluid mover for a big linebacker, he can’t beat physics. Styles could have problems matching up with NFL hybrid tight ends or skatbacks (let alone slot receivers) in coverage due to momentum and inertia from his sheer size and speed.
Game Tape
(Styles is the Ohio State linebacker wearing number 0 and black gloves)
Projection
Styles projects as a starting off-ball linebacker at the NFL level with alignment and scheme versatility.
Styles is already an excellent prospect and should be an impact player as a rookie, and he has the upside to grow into an All-Pro player.
He has an elite athletic profile for a modern NFL linebacker with one of the most rare size/speed/agility combinations we’ve ever seen. He has the physicality and strength to be a play-side run defender, the agility and speed to pursue from the back side, as well as the fluidity and experience (as a former safety) to be an effective coverage linebacker. And even though he wasn’t often used as a pass rusher, he has the upside to be a disruptive blitzer and perhaps even play on the edge (a bit) thanks to his length, speed, and strength.
Styles shouldn’t have to wait long at all to hear his name called on draft night.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: A top 10 prospect
