Ohio State LB Sonny Styles Scouting Report
Here's to Sonny Days Ahead
Image 1: LB Sonny Styles (0) celebrating over a Michigan RB
Height: 6’4
Weight: 243
Position: LB
Year: Senior
Background
Image 2: LB Sonny Styles (3) during his senior season at Pickerington Central
Born on November 24, 2004, Sonny Styles was a Five-Star S prospect in the class of 2022 coming out of Pickerington Central in Pickerington, Ohio. Ranked third among players in the state of Ohio, Styles was a highly sought-after recruit due to his freakish athleticism and ability to play multiple positions. Growing up 20 minutes away from Ohio Stadium and with a father who both played for the program, Styles unsurprisingly committed to Ohio State.
As a member of the Buckeyes, Styles began his college career as a DB, initially contributing on special teams as a freshman before becoming a starter as a sophomore. After playing a big slot/box safety role, Styles transitioned to LB in his junior year and would be a key contributor to Ohio State’s national championship. Even though he flashed sky-high potential, Styles was still green and decided to return to school to develop further. After gaining weight and becoming Ohio State’s green dot, Styles has broken out as a senior, leading the team in tackles and tying for second in PBUs. With his substantial growth, Styles is a top prospect in the 2026 draft class and could be the first Buckeye off the board in April.
Athletic Tools
At 6’4 243 with 33-inch arms, Sonny Styles has high-end positional size, which helps him be a dominant run defender. By being long and strong, Styles stones offensive lineman when striking blocks, which lets him easily control gaps and make plays. Even when not cleanly disengaged from the blocker, Styles is effective at playing through contact to finish plays and making arm tackles. Though these looks are given to Arvell Reese, Styles has the frame and length to be utilized as an early down run defending EDGE due to him being a large, lengthy LB who utilizes his tools well.
Video 1: LB Sonny Styles (0) engages the pulling guard and gets the tackle for loss
Video 2: LB Sonny Styles (0) strikes and disengages the blocker to make the tackle on the RB
Video 3: LB Sonny Styles (0) strikes the blocker and makes a difficult arm tackle on the RB
Beyond obvious size and play strength, Styles is an incredible athlete for a LB. With high-end fluidity, speed, and explosion, Styles closes distance quickly when crossing gaps in the run game or when chasing down ball carriers. While his usage and production as a blitzer has decreased this year, Styles’ rare combination of movement, strength, and size gives him high-end potential if he develops more as a blitzer.
Video 4: LB Sonny Styles (0) strikes the RB and chases down the scrambling QB
Video 5: LB Sonny Styles (0) crossing multiple gaps and to make a difficult tackle in space
Not only does his movement make him a heat-seeking missile in the run game, Styles’ athleticism lets him be a very good coverage player. Due to his fluidity, range, and speed, Styles is capable of being more than a drop zone player in coverage. Whether he’s spying the QB, playing match, or playing man, Styles is versatile in his roles as a coverage defender who is technically sound in terms of his leverage and positioning.
Video 6: LB Sonny Styles (0) uses his fluidity and speed to play match against the TE and immediately drive down to play the RB running the flat
Video 7: LB Sonny Styles (0) staying in phase in man coverage against the TE
Video 8: LB Sonny Styles (0) drives hard to play man against the RB out of the backfield
Technicals
While much of his effectiveness stems from his physical tools, Styles excels at using his intelligence and physicality in coverage. As the green dot for Ohio State, Styles has clear command of the defense when communicating checks and adjusting defensive fronts pre-snap while navigating defenders throughout the play. Individually, Styles has shown a deep understanding of route concepts, as he is effective at reading and driving onto route concepts to limit RAC/YAC and potentially break up passes.
Video 9: LB Sonny Styles (0) recognizes the route concept post-snap and drives on the receiver before QB even starts throwing the ball
Video 10: LB Sonny Styles (0) drives hard on the RB in hopes of breaking up the pass
Not only is Styles’ an effective pre-snap and coverage processor, he is one of the best processors I have evaluated coming out of college. An incredibly quick and accurate decision maker, Styles rarely ever fits the wrong gap and constantly gets into position to make plays. Beyond having high-end processing, Styles has a great technique where taking angles, locking out defenders, and deconstructing blocks. Combined with sound tackling technique, Styles has been a ridiculously reliable run defender for Ohio State as he has not missed a tackle on his 600 defensive snaps this season.
Video 11: LB Sonny Styles (0) reads the run concept and quickly fills the gap
Video 12: LB Sonny Styles (0) displays textbook lock out technique and nearly tips the pass
Video 13: LB Sonny Styles (0) deconstructs the block from the OT and makes a play on the RB
Draft Projection
Sonny Styles currently has a first round grade and is a blue-chip prospect. With high-end size, athleticism, technique, and processing, Styles is a perfect LB prospect. Though a dramatic claim, I struggled to find any major deficiencies beyond Styles being only good and not great in some aspects of the position. Styles not only has the processing ability and refinement to start immediately, but he also has the physical tools to become one of the best ever to play the position. If I had to bet on a 2026 draft prospect to produce a hall of fame career, then I would put my money on Sonny Styles.
Athletic Testing
Will be updated after the NFL Combine/Ohio State Pro Day
Pro Comparison
Image 3: LB Brian Urlacher (54) during his Hall of Fame Career with the Chicago Bears
While comparing any college prospect to hall of famers is always a dangerous (and often foolish) endeavor, the similarities between Sonny Styles and Brian Urlacher are startling. A freak of nature athlete who played a hybrid S/LB role at New Mexico State and became the backbone of several elite Chicago defenses, Urlacher was a highly intelligent defender who dominated offenses by being able to cover like a DB while playing the run like a LB. Not only does he possess the same freakish size/speed combination, but Styles has the same high-level processing ability and physicality. Though a LB in the first is poor in terms of positional value, Styles (much like Urlacher) is a LB who I believe can be worth taking with premium draft capital
Date Published: 12/9/2025
Date Last Updated: 12/9/2025
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