Today in Pittsburgh, the Washington Commanders grabbed Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Styles had been slipping a bit in recent mocks, but a 6-foot-5, 244-pound All-American rarely has to wait too long to hear his name being called in the draft.
Sonny Styles Shares Draft Night Moment With Father on Red Carpet
On Thursday, at Point State Park, Styles stood on the red carpet in a black two-piece suit. Bowtie clean, shoulders squared, nothing too loud about it. His dad, Lorenzo Styles Sr., right there. His brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., another Ohio State guy, on the other side.
The Styles family ❤️@sonnystyles_ | @LorenzoStyles_
NFL Draft – 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bNZ8TpOrvh— NFL (@NFL) April 23, 2026
There is an aura that surrounds Styles. Calm, yeah, but not in a passive way. More like he knows exactly where and who he is and isn’t trying to prove it to anyone, and there is a bit of edge underneath it too, if you watch long enough. These photos kind of catch that.
Talking about his family, there is a bit of lore behind his name which can be credited to his dad. Back around in 2007, Lorenzo Sr. saw him throwing a fit as a toddler. Not just any tantrum but rather something with a bit of personality to it. It reminded him of Santino Corleone from The Godfather. Hot-headed. Loud. Hard to ignore.
So he just… called him Sonny. And it stuck. Alex became Sonny like that, with no change on paper of course. And over time, the way he played kind of made sure the name stayed.
If the name carries something, the player definitely backs it up. Styles came into the draft with a PFSN Scouting Grade of 94.55, ranked as the #1 LB, while his PFSN LB Impact Score clocked in at 78.6.
Styles initially started out as a safety. Then in 2024, they moved him down into the box and everything clicked pretty much right away. That season: 100 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups and a forced fumble.
By 2025, the recognition followed in the form of First-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors.
The way he moves pretty much ensured he got those recognitions. You can still see the safety background in coverage. He’s comfortable in space, doesn’t look rushed, reads things pretty naturally. Then the next moment he’s at the line, slipping blocks, getting into the backfield, bending around the edge like it’s just… normal. It’s a bit of a mix and it works.
By the way, football was always around so his passion for it is a given. His dad played at Ohio State in the early 90s, got drafted 77th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1995 NFL draft, and stayed in the league for six seasons.
