Who is Commanders LB Sonny Styles?

Story byWho is Sonny Styles?The Washington Commanders made Styles their 2026 first-round choice at No. 7 on Thursday night. The former Ohio State Buckeye had been mocked to be selected in the top five, but fell to the Commanders at No. 7 when the Kansas City Chiefs traded up with Cleveland, passing the Commanders to draft the highest-rated corner, Monsoor Delane.Here are some interesting facts about the newest Commander's linebacker selected Thursday by GM Adam Peters.AdvertisementStyles vaulted up draft boards with his eyebrow-raising Combine performance. At 6’5 | 244 pounds, Styles recorded an 11'2" broad jump (T-4th all-time)* 43.5" vertical jump (1st all-time)* 4.46 40-yard dash. Some referred to Styles as the top player in the class.These are Sonny Styles' NFL Combine measurements: - 6'5", 244 pounds - 32 7/8" arms - 10" hands - 80 7/8" wingspan.The Ohio State linebacker recorded 83 Tackles, one QB sack, 1 forced fumble, and one interception during the 2025 regular season.Styles' career stats at Ohio State were: 245 tackles, passes defended 9, sacks 9, forced fumbles 3, interceptions 1Styles was an Ohio State safety and has transitioned up to linebacker, still learning the position.Styles may be the ultimate illustration of GM Adam Peters' declaration that the Commanders needed to get younger and faster.DC Daronte Jones has suddenly obtained in his first off season linebackers Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles, perhaps the two most athletic linebacker teammates. Chenal ranked 3rd all-time in the RAS metric and Styles first.In March, NFL Draft Files tweeted: Sonny Styles is my #1 overall player in the 2026 NFL Draft He put up a 9.99 RAS, but his film is so good that athletic testing feels like an afterthought. He is the only blue chip prospect in this year’s class:Sonny Styles was quite the high school basketball player in Ohio.Here is Styles' first interview as a Washington Commander:This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Who is Sonny Styles?