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The Ohio State Buckeyes fell short of back-to-back titles, falling short to the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff. Their defense, though, was strong enough to be immortalized in college football history, and it might be etched into immortality if three of its stars land in the top 10.
Linebacker Sonny Styles is among the Buckeyes vying for Thursday draft capital, and after his NFL Scouting Combine performance, he might be the first one off the board.
Styles' strengths lock him into Round 1
Styles began the year as a fringe first-round player on my board. The arrow was pointing up after a flash-heavy 2024 campaign, but tackling issues and coverage inconsistencies made him more of an exciting work in progress than a true Sunday starter.
It's safe to say he put those concerns to rest this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Styles missed 18.4% of his tackles last year. This time around, he missed just two tackles (2.2%). Both came in Ohio State's final playoff contest.
No film is perfect, but Styles had about as flawless of a season as a linebacker can have. Throw in Styles' transition from safety -- 2025 was only his second season as a true linebacker -- and his upside becomes tantalizing. It feels similar to MLB teams rolling the dice on two-way talents during the draft, not so that they can be the next Shohei Ohtani (good luck!) but because they are elite athletes who haven't yet specialized at one side of the ball.
If Styles is the best off-ball linebacker in the class, and he has shown growth in his limited experience, what is his true upside?
We can feel comfortable that Styles is already more than a one-dimensional role player. There's special teams utility here, and Styles has all the athletic traits one can hope for in coverage. His safety instincts translate particularly well to low zones, and his length makes him a space eater underneath.
That processing also shows up as a spy, where his click-and-close speed can turn comedic, and he chases down quarterbacks with ease.
Against the run, Styles is generally gap sound and has a unique ability to deconstruct blocks. He had no issue making plays at the line of scrimmage against Indiana's offensive line, boasting good power, lateral movement skills, and burst that allows for the occasional tackle for loss.
Styles was more comfortable flipping his hips in coverage, and he continued to make plays as a blitzer (and infrequent edge rusher).
Styles' weaknesses are shrinking by the season
It has grown difficult to write a Styles scouting report that doesn't sound hyperbolic, but the biggest thing holding back Styles' draft stock is positional value. There's a world in which Styles is the best non-quarterback in the draft, but teams may be hesitant to spend that kind of draft capital at a non-premium position.
Styles's ability to impact the passing game helps his case, but there are still some wrinkles to iron out in coverage, particularly in man coverage. He can lose his leverage on running backs and put himself in adversarial spots where he is overly reliant on his athleticism. Likewise, he has grown comfortably flipping his hips, but accelerates much better when triggering downhill, rather than running the pole as he would in Tampa 2.
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Against the run, there are occasional reps where Styles gets jumpy and bounces himself out of position. It's an imperfection, but far from the red flag that would relegate him to a passing-down role.
Also, there may be some bumps in the road because of Styles' lack of experience at linebacker. That is exacerbated as a pass rusher, where he may be asked to take a few more reps at the next level. He's probably behind Reese as a pass rusher, as his teammate took on more of the hybrid role this season.
Styles' NFL projection
Styles looks the part as an above-average starter from the jump, offering an instant impact as a Will or Mike linebacker. After his NFL Combine performance, there's a case to be made that he's a truly elite prospect and a viable top-five selection.
In Indianapolis, Styles ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at 6'5", 244 pounds. His 43.5-inch vertical jump was the best for a linebacker since Cameron Wake in 2005. His 11'2" broad jump was similarly elite.
This is a generational athletic profile for an off-ball linebacker, and it might lend itself to the kind of transition that Reese is being asked to consider.
If Styles is a better off-ball linebacker than Reese, a better athlete, and similarly effective in limited pass-rushing reps, is there a case to be made that he's simply a better prospect? If asked to play edge rusher at the next level, might he project as the best one in this class?
If nothing else, that kind of upside is worth considering, and even if he sticks off the ball, he looks like the best linebacker prospect since Roquan Smith in 2018. Trying to keep that profile out of the top 10 feels futile.
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