Jeremiah isn’t the only one to compare Styles to Warner — a four-time Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro over the last eight years. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein also made the connection, and it’s easy to see why. Both players can move sideline-to-sideline in coverage and know how to fill gaps in the run game. They can shed blockers and know how to match up against running backs, tight ends and receivers alike. While Warner has been a key cog in San Francisco’s defense, Styles was a star on Ohio State’s defense, which finished as the best in college football.
The main difference is that Styles is two inches taller and about 15 pounds heavier than Warner, which makes it all the more impressive.
“He’s improved in diagnosing play development,” Zierlein wrote. “The former Buckeye diffuses block attempts with crisp hand strikes and leverages run fits with force/anchor strength. There are times when he slips back into a containment-based approach, but he has plenty of short-area quickness and pursuit speed to get where he needs to go. He can make an impact from multiple spots on the field and is a plus man-cover talent.”
In terms of raw stats, Styles was more impactful in 2024 (100 tackles and six sacks to go with a forced fumble) compared to last season’s 83 tackles with one sack and an interception, but you would be hard-pressed to find a linebacker who impacted each level of the defense as much as him. He earned grades of at least 87 from Pro Football Focus in run defense, tackling (he had an FBS-best 92.2) and coverage. PFF also notes that he is the only defensive player with at least 50 tackles to have a miss rate of zero.
That could provide a noticeable boost to a Commanders defense that ranked 31st in total missed tackles (131).
“Styles is an emerging player with the traits and versatility to garner longer looks by NFL evaluators. He could see his stock soar leading up to draft day,” Zierlein wrote.