Draft Dreamer: Sonny Styles

The 2026 offseason is underway with the Combine in the books and free agency underway. This is a chance for all teams to reset and fans to renew their hopes. If you have followed my work, then you know this is my favorite time of year, and it’s never too early to start breaking down NFL Draft prospects. This class is packed with players who will make an impact at the next level. I will cover every one of them, from the big dudes in the trenches to the erasers patrolling the secondary. Let’s get started with a prospect at the cornerback position who I expect to stand out early in the draft process and make an impact in the NFL right away: Sonny Styles of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Background

Sonny Styles was a five-star safety recruit for the Pickerington Central Tigers in Pickerington, Ohio. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Tigers to an Ohio Division I runner-up finish. He played in seven games and recorded 33 total tackles, 14 solo stops, 42.4% solo rate, one TFL, four interceptions, returned 81 yards, and  4 PBUs. As a junior, he would play in eleven games for the Tigers, while recording 55 total tackles, 29 solo stops, 52.7% solo rate, one sack, two interceptions for 141 return yards, and one touchdown, with 4 PBUs, and one forced fumble. Styles would have 24 offers from various schools, including Alabama, Oregon, Clemson, and Tennessee. Styles was the 12th-ranked player in the nation, #1 Safety, and #2 player in the state of Ohio.

He would reclassify to the 2022 class, forgo his senior year, and enroll early at Ohio State. During his first year with the Buckeyes, Styles, a true freshman, age 17, would play in ten games, mostly on special teams, recording nine total tackles, five solo stops, 55.5% solo rate with one TFL. Styles would earn his first major role on defense the following season, playing 13 games, making 12 starts all at safety, with totals of 53 tackles, 32 solo stops, 58.1% solo rate, 4½ TFLs, two sacks, one PBU, and one forced fumble. Styles ranked 5th on the team in total tackles and 4th in solo stops. He would end the season with three straight games with nine tackles in each contest. Entering his junior season, Styles would make the switch to linebacker for the Buckeyes.

Styles made the transition from safety to linebacker look as if he’d always played the position. As a junior, he would play 1008 total snaps in 16 games, which included 908 on defense (second to Caleb Downs’ 922), and help lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship. Styles would register 100 total tackles, 48 solo stops, 48% solo rate, 10½ TFLs, six sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and five PBUs. His 100 total tackles would be 2nd best on the team, and he’d be named 2nd-Team All-Big 10 Conference. In the Buckeyes' run to the championship (4 games), Styles recorded 24 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks, two PBUs, and a forced fumble. He more than proved that he could handle and excel in the position change.

He would return to Ohio State for his senior year and would not disappoint. Styles played and started all 14 games with totals of 82 tackles, 46 solo stops, 56% solo rate,  6½ TFLs, one sack, one interception, four PBUs, and one forced fumble. He would lead the Buckeyes in both total tackles and solo stops, with a career high of 12 tackles versus Indiana in the Big10 Championship game. Styles would be named 1st Team All-Big 10 Conference and 1st Team All-American for his efforts on the season. He finished his collegiate career with 53 games played, 42 starts, 244 total tackles, 131 solo stops, 53.6% solo rate, 22½ TFLs, nine sacks, one interception, ten PBUs, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Styles finished with an 11.734 Blue Chip Rating (BCR) in my IDP Rookie Grading system. It could have been higher had he played all four seasons at linebacker for the Buckeyes.

Player Breakdown

Styles tested off the charts at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, putting his freakish athleticism on display for scouts. He takes bigger, faster, stronger to a whole new level! The first word that comes to mind to describe Styles is…..Explosive! He finished 1st in the 40-yard dash (4.46 sec), 10-yard split (1.56 sec), vertical (43.50”), and broad jump (11’2”), and did all of this while measuring 6’5”/245 lbs. Are you kidding me!!! From his testing to his game film, what’s not to like about Styles? It’s nitpicking, but he’s a little underexperienced at the linebacker position, having converted over from the safety spot. I think his background as a safety is a plus, as it shows his versatility to be a three-down linebacker and shine in coverage situations.

An athletic freak who can cover sideline to sideline. He’s a three-phase coverage defender, meaning he has size to cover tight ends, quickness to stay with running backs, and speed to stay with wide receivers downfield. Styles has made the transition to liebacker look easy with his fluid movement skills, closing speed, and play recognition. Trust his eyes and attacks with a purpose. He has good instincts, processes quickly, and then fires downhill. Styles can play inside linebacker or outside, with upside as a pass rusher. He didn’t have the pass rush stats that most do, but wasn’t asked to do a lot of that at Ohio State with all the Edges that have come through there. His length, speed, and athleticism will have scouts salivating over his ceiling potential. Styles is a true three-level defender, but doesn’t come without some flaws. I’d like to see him improve at stack, disengage, and shedding blocks. His aggressiveness can cause him to have lapses in his assignment discipline.

Styles can be manipulated by play action and need to improve against misdirection and pulling-type plays. These things can be chalked up to just a lack of experience at the linebacker position, but he has the skillset and football IQ to make these adjustments. Creative Defensive Coordinators are going to have a true Queen of the chessboard type player at their disposal. He has everything you like in a linebacker and does it extremely well. Again, a little inexperienced, but with reps and proper coaching, his potential is off the charts. Styles excelled in one of the top conferences in college football, and I expect that to carry over to the NFL.

NFL & Fantasy Projection

When draft time arrives this April, I expect Styles to be one of the first defensive players off the board. He has everything the NFL looks for in a linebacker: size, speed, talent, three-down abilities, versatility, and potential. After his impressive combine performance, his draft stock shot through the roof, and he will have numerous teams interested. With that, I see him being a 1st round selection, being drafted as high as possibly the Top 15 or maybe even Top 10. These types of freakish athletic impact potential stars don’t come along very often. A team in need of a linebacker with a creative DC may have found their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with Styles.

Styles’s fantasy value is skyrocketing right now, and I won’t be shocked if he’s the first IDP selected in rookie drafts. This isn’t the strongest of draft classes for the linebacker position, and tackle premium scoring leagues will only push his draft stock higher. Every year, there is one IDP rookie that goes crazy early, and this year it could be Styles! I’ll be curious to see what his ADP is when the rookie drafts results begin to roll in. I’d love to invest in Styles for my fantasy teams, but the value has to be right. In redraft or smaller roster leagues, I think you have to pass and take the proven options available, but for those of us in dynasty, I love his potential. I truly believe we’ll see drafted early 2nd in some IDP rookie drafts, and I won’t be shocked if there are some last first-round investments made in his stock.

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy