Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles had a monster performance at the 2026 NFL Combine, ranking among the biggest risers in on-field drills. Styles outpaced nearly every linebacker and edge rusher in the 40-yard dash, tying with Arvell Reese at 4.46 seconds.
Styles is now projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after his phenomenal combine performance.
Sonny Styles Earns Rave Reviews After Historic Combine Performance
Styles also dominated the jump events, recording a vertical jump of 43.5 inches (the highest for a linebacker since 2005) and a broad jump of 11 feet 2 inches.
Football analyst Timmy Hall compared Styles’ NFL Combine results to those of other athletes, offering high praise.
“6-foot-5 is the same height as Calvin Johnson, freak,” Hall said. “244 pounds is just three pounds lighter than Derrick Henry, one of the biggest tank and fastest running backs we’ve ever seen. The 43.5-inch vertical is the same as NBA slam dunk champ, Nate Robinson. That’s nuts.”
“The 4.46 is the same as Bijan Robinson, and the broad jump is the same as Julio Jones. Just picking all the best guys in their position and then roping them into one linebacker.”
MORE: Ohio State Predicted To Dominate the Top 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft
Styles’ incredible Combine performance follows a promising 2025 season at Ohio State, where he recorded 83 total tackles (46 solo), a forced fumble, an interception, and a sack. He finished the season ranked 56th with a 78.6 score on PFSN’s College Football LB Impact Metric.
Styles was initially a safety during his first two college seasons before transitioning to linebacker, and his potential at the position is extraordinary, according to Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.
“Every NFL person I’ve talked to about Sonny Styles, I’ve said, ‘Look, he’s only played linebacker two seasons of his entire life,’” Laurinaitis told Fox Sports’ Ben Arthur. “So you’re getting a guy who’s going to get way more comfortable [because] the game is finally slowing down for him at that level on the defense. You’re not getting a fully formed guy yet, which I think is very scary.”
“He [Styles] balances that looseness of clowning around and having fun with the guys with this seriousness of locking in and knowing when to lock in… I think he’s tuned into what’s happening to everybody around him. He’s always paying attention. He’s always inquiring.”
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid noted that an off-ball linebacker like Styles hasn’t been selected in the top five of the draft since 2019, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked Devin White.
