A look at the Sonny Styles NFL Draft profile, including a scouting report, his college highlights and stats, and a mock draft projection.
Ohio State has produced not one, but two incredible linebacker prospects this year. While Arvell Reese is getting projected to go within the first few picks of the draft, Sonny Styles is right up there with him. A national champion and named on the Second-team All-Big Ten in 2024, Styles shined even brighter in 2025, when he was voted as a First-team All-American. While it remains to be seen which linebacker will have the better career in the long run, the Sonny Styles draft profile gives us a clear picture of what kind of player some team will get in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Let’s take a look at our Sonny Styles NFL Draft profile, including his stats, scouting report, college highlights, and more!
Sonny Styles NFL Draft Profile 2026
Sonny Styles
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 244 lbs
Age: 21
College: Ohio State Buckeyes
Sonny Styles Stats 2025
After breaking onto the scene in 2024, Styles flourished even more in 2025. Here are Sonny Styles’ college stats last season:
Games: 14
Tackles: 82
TFL: 6.5
Sacks: 1
FF: 1
Sonny Styles Highlights
When is the 2026 NFL Draft?
The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 23, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The draft will take place in Pittsburgh, PA. Only Round 1 will take place on Thursday. Rounds 2-3 will take place on April 24th, with the remaining four rounds wrapping up on Saturday, April 25th. There will be 257 players selected across the seven rounds, with many more getting phone calls immediately afterward.
Sonny Styles Scouting Report
Strengths
One of the first things that comes off the tape and just seeing him next to other players, is just how massive Styles is. At 6’5″ and weighing in at over 240 pounds, Styles brings some real size with him. The crazy thing about his stature is that he actually came into Ohio State and started as a sophomore at the safety position before moving to linebacker in 2024. As a result of this, he can be put in a lot of different positions on the field and make an impact out the gate. While one game doesn’t define a player by any stretch of the imagination, he looked like the much better prospect and overall player compared to Arvell Reese in the Big Ten Championship game against Indiana this past season.
In terms of how he plays the game, one of his biggest strengths is in run support. Sonny Styles does a great job plugging gaps and gets off blockers better than most. When a running back meets him in space, he makes the tackle right where he hits them almost every time. For a guy his size, he does a good job contorting his body to be able to get through tight lanes and gaps in protection. He also has solid play recognition and is able to play in man or zone effectively depending on the play.
Weaknesses
One of the biggest weaknesses that comes off the tape is Styles’ questionable motor. While he certainly does his part on defense the vast majority of time, there are certainly some plays, even in the Big Ten Championship game, where he slowed up on plays. At the NFL level, that won’t fly and coaches will need to coach it out of him. Even if the play is essentially “over,” it is a terrible look or a player to be jogging on the play.
Another issue with Styles is that he lacks some skills as a blitzing linebacker. He can be fooled by disguised or trick plays and is sometimes not as violent as he needs to be when he needs to get home quick. In addition to his struggles with blitzing from time to time, he also struggles at times recognizing blocking schemes and can run himself into blocks more than he should.
For more 2026 NFL Draft profiles, check out our NFL Draft page!
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Sonny Styles NFL Draft Projection | Expert 2026 NFL Mock Draft Projections
These Sonny Styles NFL Draft projections, outside of the one done by NFL Network, are from before the NFL Free Agency signings took place, so there will be plenty of updates, news reports and more before the actual draft. These mock draft projections are coming from ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today and NFL Network.
| SOURCE | TEAM | RD | PK |
| ESPN | Giants | 1 | 5 |
| CBS Sports | Chiefs | 1 | 9 |
| USA Today | Giants | 1 | 5 |
| NFL Network | Commanders | 1 | 7 |
2026 NFL Draft Order | First Round
Sonny Styles will likely hear his name called within the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft, but where will he go? Here is the 2026 NFL Draft order.
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Arizona Cardinals
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns
- Washington Commanders
- New Orleans Saints
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Miami Dolphins
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams (via ATL)
- Baltimore Ravens
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New York Jets (via IND)
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Carolina Panthers
- Dallas Cowboys (via GB)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns (via JAX)
- Chicago Bears
- Buffalo Bills
- San Francisco 49ers
- Houston Texans
- Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR)
- Miami Dolphins (via DEN)
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
