Carnell Tate selected No. 4 overall to the Tennessee Titans, Arvell Reese goes No. 5 to the New York Giants, Sonny Styles selected No. 7 by the Washington Commanders, Caleb Downs goes No. 11 to the Dallas Cowboys.
Two Ohio State linebackers were selected in the first seven picks of the 2026 NFL draft.
After the New York Giants drafted Arvell Reese with the No. 5 overall pick, the Washington Commanders drafted Sonny Styles with the No. 7 selection of the 2026 NFL draft, marking the first time in NFL draft history that two linebackers from the same school have been drafted within the top 10 picks. Styles is the third Buckeye off the board in the 2026 NFL draft.
Developed Here!! pic.twitter.com/UClgucnJ7G
— Ryan Day (@ryandaytime) April 24, 2026
The youngest son of former Ohio State linebacker Lorenzo Styles, Sonny Styles began his Ohio State career as a safety before switching to linebacker during the Buckeyes' championship season of 2024. He finished his collegiate career with 224 tackles, nine sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
Ohio State’s Block O jersey recipient and a team captain in 2025, Styles earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors for his senior season. He led Ohio State with 82 total tackles in 2025 after recording exactly 100 tackles in 2024.
Ohio State has now had 29 linebackers drafted since 2000, moving ahead of Georgia (27 since 2000) for the most of any school.
A five-star recruit out of Pickerington Central High School, Styles always had the talent to be a first-round NFL draft pick and envisioned himself playing in the NFL since he was a kid. But he credited his four years of development at Ohio State, particularly over the last two years after he moved to linebacker, with building him into one of the draft’s top prospects.
“I think without the development we have at Ohio State, all (the five Ohio State players who were invited to the NFL draft) wouldn't be here,” Styles said. “The coaches we have in the building; Coach Day, it obviously starts with him, Coach Mick, we just got a bunch of great people in the building. So many different resources to help us get to where we need to be.”
Styles hopes to be just one of two members of his family to be selected in this year’s draft. His older brother, former Ohio State defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr., is a projected Day 3 pick.
