From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.

#0 SONNY STYLES/ LB, OHIO STATE (SENIOR) – 6’5, 243 pounds.
Measurements

Player
Ht/Wt
Hand Size
Arm Length
Wingspan

Sonny Styles
6’5/243
N/A
N/A
N/A

40-Yard Dash
10-Yard Dash
Short Shuttle
3-Cone

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

Broad Jump
Vertical
Bench Press

N/A
N/A
N/A

The Good

— Very good height/weight/speed
— Active communicator, gets everyone in position
— Versatile within the defense
— Good downhill burst
— Willing to take on blocks inside or versus pullers on the edge
— Athleticism to chase sideline to sideline
— Solid tackler inside; good tackler in space
— Size to match up with tight ends in man; athletic to get deep in Tampa two coverage
— Good depth and solid awareness in zone
— Solid timing and good acceleration as a blitzer

The Bad

— New to position, and mental processing is a work in progress
— Play diagnosing delay allows blockers to get to his level
— Will bite on fakes, taking him out of position
— Marginal disengaging from blocks
— Doesn’t run through his tackles consistently
— Pursuit effort across/downfield not full effort
— Will turn his back getting to his spot in coverage
— Eye on receiver in man; not seeing what the QB is doing
— Allows too much space vs running backs in coverage
— Didn’t win often as a blitzer

Stats

— 53 games/42 starts, 3-year starter
— Career: 244 tackles, 131 solo, 22.5 TFL, 9.0 sacks, 1 INT for 5 yards, 9 PBU, 1 FR, 3 FF
— 2025: 82 tackles, 46 solo, 6.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT for 5 yards, 3 PBUR, 1 FF
— 2025 First team All-Big Ten; 2024 Second team All-Big Ten; 2023 Honorable mention All
— Played safety his first two seasons, including 12 starts in 2023
— Has earned multiple OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honors
— OSU spring nominee for the Big Ten Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award for striving to have a positive impact in sports and within the community
— Community service efforts involve supporting the Huckelberry House, a non-profit that serves at-risk and homeless youth in central Ohio

Injury History

— None of significance

Background

— Turns 22 in November 2026
— Enrolled in classes in June 2022 with 10 additional members of his class
— Ranked as the No. 3 player in the state of Ohio and No. 29 player nationally in 2021
— Son of Lorenzo Styles Sr., played for the Buckeyes in 1992-94 and a six-year NFL career with Atlanta and St. Louis that included a Super Bowl XXXIV championship with the Rams
— Mother is Laverna Styles, also an Ohio State graduate
— Older brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., transferred to Ohio State from Notre Dame this year to play football

Tape Breakdown

Sonny Styles is a long, lean linebacker with very good athleticism. The 2024 National Champion showed versatility, aligning inside, on the edge, and as the overhang defender. He is an active communicator with good speed and solid play strength. The 2025 season was just his second as a linebacker after two seasons playing safety.

Against the run, he displays good downhill burst and is willing to take on blockers in the gaps. When lined up outside, he is solid, setting the edge, and shows good pad level when taking on pulling blockers. He has good speed to chase sideline to sideline. Overall, he is a solid tackler. More often than not, he is a wrap-and-ride-down tackler.

Here he is working against the run. The decision-making got better as the year progressed, but there is room to get quicker.

In coverage, he has good potential. He has the size and speed to match up with tight ends and plays under control on running backs out of the backfield. His athleticism will allow him to be used in deep coverage down the middle in a Tampa Two scheme. In zone coverage, he gets good depth in his drops with solid awareness of players coming through his area. When tackling in space, he plays under control with a good base and uses his length and athleticism well.

In Zone, Styles (0) gets depth and puts a stick on a receiver. Then, on the outside, he pulls in the tipped ball interception.

As a pass rusher, he showed solid timing and good acceleration when blitzing up the middle. On the edge, he had limited success, but I did see one nice chop to clear the tackle and get the sack.

He is number 6 in this clip. He starts in the middle, communicating with teammates. He will move to the right of the screen to rush off the edge, and just a nice chop to win the rep and get the sack.

Defending the run, his mental processing is adequate at this point. A slight delay in diagnosis gives blockers time to gain an advantage. He will bite on fakes, taking him out of position, and will lose sight of the runner. Currently, he is marginal when disengaging from blocks and lacks the play strength to consistently win against linemen. When tackling, he needs to wrap better and bring his hips through. His pursuit across and down the field is just adequate. He doesn’t give full effort to get to the ball.

Taking on blocks in the middle and on the right edge. Improving his ability to disengage will allow for more plays to be made.

In man coverage, his eyes are focused on the receiver rather than looking toward the quarterback. On wheel routes, he was late to react, letting the backs get too much distance before he gave full chase. Getting to his spot in zone, he will turn and run, taking his eyes off the quarterback. When blitzing, he didn’t win physically, even against running backs.

One-on-one, versus the running back, he is late to commit and falls behind in coverage.

Conclusion

Styles is a very athletic defender, long and lean, with good speed. He displays good burst and acceleration, will willingly take on blockers, and can chase sideline to sideline. Overall, he is a solid tackler and breaks down well in space. He has the potential to be a good pass defender in man and zone coverage as well as an effective blitzer.

Areas to improve include adding play strength and improving technique to disengage from blocks. Continuing to improve his mental processing, playing to his full speed capability, and being a more physical tackler will help him against the run. Against the pass, keeping his head on a swivel in coverage, shortening the distance when covering backs, and working on ways to beat blocks when blitzing will help him grow.

While still being very new to the position, he did show improvement. There were more plays in 2025 that made you sit up and pay attention. However, there is a lot of work to be done. There is an element of boom-or-bust depending on his development. Whoever drafts him will have to show some patience due to his positional newness. There is a lot to work with, and his length and athleticism would be huge at the linebacker position.

In the ideal outcome, he will become a MIKE or MACK linebacker inside who can play the WILL if that doesn’t work out. For a player comp, I’ll give you a more athletic Cedric Gray. He had similar questions coming in, including his diagnosing and getting off blocks. Gray blossomed in his second NFL season for Tennessee, racking up 164 tackles.

NFL Projection: First Round
Steelers Depot Grade:  8.8 (Long-time Starter)
Grade Range:  8.0-9.2
Games Watched: 2024 – Vs Oregon (Rose Bowl), Vs Texas (Cotton Bowl); 2025 vs Texas, At Wisconsin, At Michigan