Mutual excitement is expressed at nearly every interview of a first-round draft pick and his new general manager and coach. But in the case of Sonny Styles and the Washington Commanders brass, there can be no doubts about the authenticity of those remarks.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told the team’s podcast, “Command Center,” that he and Washington’s staff were avoiding jinxing the pick by talking about it for the first six picks of the draft as they waited at No. 7. He equated it to the first two rules from the movie “Fight Club.”
Styles told his family and friends that he would be a Commander the morning before the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. He was manifesting his dream scenario.
“When I came in this building, you guys (general manager Adam Peters and Quinn) talked about just scratching the surface,” Styles said at his introductory press conference in Washington on Friday. “You talked about how there's so much more to unlock. And I see it. I see the vision. I'm excited to be here. I've been telling everyone this is where I wanted to be. So I'm super excited to be here and just can't wait to get to work.”
Quinn and Peters and Styles’ vision for the linebacker is clear to not just them, but to all who read that quote. Because as much as the Central Ohio native accomplished in his two years playing linebacker for Ohio State, with his freak athleticism, drive and football knowledge, he has the potential to become one of the NFL’s best linebackers.
“I think the speed and the violence of action, those are the things that jump out to me,” Quinn said. “There was a specific play, watching it just Saturday night, I was just reviewing and I can remember watching my iPad, I was sitting next to (my wife) Stacey and I was like, ‘damn.’ And she's like, ‘what?’ And I showed her the play. It was against Illinois and it was a 4-yard gain, but he was a curl player going to the flat. And the explosion on the running back to knock him out of bounds was just remarkable.
“The 4-yard gain of that, it wouldn't have shown up anywhere on the stat sheet. But the speed, the finish, the violence that was there. It's over and over again. Can you train somebody into that space? Because not everybody has that in their body to be able to do it. And so you combine that with the work ethic, the humility, how much he loves the game. Like when you put all that together, you really get fired up about what it could be.”
Note from Andy: This is the closest play I found to Quinn’s description after reviewing all eight of Styles’ tackles from the Illinois game. He doesn’t “knock” the running back out of bounds in the traditional sense, but is defending curls and flats, and Quinn also said it wouldn’t have shown up in the stat sheet, which he may have thought to be true because Styles didn’t put a hand on the back. I went back and forth between several plays for way too long where Styles *didn’t* have curls and flats in coverage but *did* physically knock someone out of bounds, or vice versa.
Sorry for rambling, but I had to let someone know my strife. Now back to your regularly scheduled story.
The biggest reason the Commanders and Styles see him as just “scratching the surface” despite being an All-American in 2025? He’s only played linebacker for two years.
Styles came to Columbus as a safety after reclassifying from the recruiting class of 2023 to 2022, skipping his final year of high school. He started 13 of Ohio State’s 14 games at either nickel or strong safety in 2023, his sophomore year. A disappointing close to the season and athletic traits that had always been present prompted his move to linebacker in 2024.
The most improved player of Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked and national-championship-winning defense that season, he took his play to another echelon in 2025. He finished the year with 82 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, an interception and three pass breakups and didn’t miss a single tackle until the Buckeyes’ final game of the year against Miami, per Pro Football Focus. His leadership earned him a team captain title and Ohio State’s Block “O” jersey. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named a first-team All-American by Sporting News.
Styles credited Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and his father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., as the two men who helped him most in his position transition.
“When I switched to linebacker, (Laurinaitis) texted me and said, ‘Hey, you're gonna be a first-round pick,’” Styles said. “For him to say that after my first few years playing safety – they were okay. Like, I wasn't on projection to be that yet. And to hear that from your coach means a lot. So I was super happy when he did that. And so, yeah, I think those two guys are a big reason why I succeeded at the position.”
For all those successes piloting another No. 1 Ohio State defense, Styles saw plenty of growth to be had when watching his tape back. That’s the exciting part for him and Quinn.
“I have high expectations for myself,” Styles said. “I don't think the goal for my career was just to get to the NFL, and that was it, round of applause. I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy for the moment, but there's still so much work to be done. I was in year two at the position last year. I thought I played fairly well, but I watched myself. I know I have so much more in the tank. In all facets of the game, there's so much more to work on.”
Styles described his pre-draft process as “fun,” and there’s no doubt attached to reading that quote, either. He recorded one of the greatest NFL Scouting Combine performances in recent memory. His 43.5-inch vertical jump set a combine record for a player over 240 pounds, and was second all-time at the linebacker position, trailing only Cameron Wake’s 45.5-inch leap in 2005. He ran a blazing 4.46-second time in the 40-yard dash.
Styles had fantastic conversations with the Commanders' front office during his visits. It all led to an oddly comfortable feeling entering the draft on Thursday.
“Honestly, everyone asked me all day, like, am I anxious? And I told everybody no,” Styles said. “I was just excited. I had a feeling I knew where I was going, and it happened just like it was supposed to. So it was a dream come true, and obviously, celebrated with the family after. Seeing all my other fellow Buckeyes get drafted was awesome. I think we were all genuinely just super happy for each other. Everyone ended up right where they're supposed to be.”
Hail yeah @SeatGeek | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/gQk8BY6nQU
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 24, 2026
Styles was one of four Ohio State players drafted in the first round, joining wide receiver Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall, Titans), linebacker Arvell Reese (No. 5 overall, Giants) and safety Caleb Downs (No. 11 overall, Cowboys). Washington saw not just a gifted linebacker in Styles, but an immaculate person.
“As impressive as he is on the field, he's just as impressive off the field,” Commanders general manager Adam Peters said. “And we're super excited to have him. Mom and dad, you guys did a great job. And so just really, really pumped to have him here. And really, in short, Sonny embodies everything we look for in a Commander on and off the field.”
While safety didn’t prove to be Styles’ best position, Quinn is excited about his experience there. There’s no doubt it helped Styles in pass coverage: He allowed just 5.4 yards per target, per PFF. If that were an offense’s yards per pass attempt last season, it would have ranked 133rd of the 136 teams nationally.
“Being in that room and the communication, the techniques that go involved with it, now you get to apply those skills to a different position,” Quinn said. “You're already elevated at those skills, covering man-to-man, knowing zones, how to play that. That's a unique thing that you're able to do and bring.”
There’s no doubt Washington is excited about Styles, and Styles is excited about Washington. It reminds him of a place he loves more than the space from the skies to the earth’s crust far below: The Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“I'll take it back to when I was coming out of high school,” Styles said. “I went to Ohio State, went in the building. There was great people in the building, starting with Coach Day, the whole coaching staff, other players. When I came in this building, first person I see, Coach (Ken) Norton. Great energy. You could tell he's just a genuine guy, great man. Then I could sit down with Coach (Daronte) Jones, go talk to Coach Quinn, AP, and it was just great energy in the whole building, every single person I met with, and it just felt right. And that's why when I left this building, I was like, ‘Man, this is it.’”
