Ohio State Linebacker Sonny Styles Follows Pattern of Ex-Buckeyes in NFL Draft

Sonny Styles heard his name called Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles had his NFL dreams realized Thursday night in Pittsburgh, as he was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Washington Commanders of the NFC East in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Styles, who transitioned from safety to linebacker in recent years, can now showcase his adaptability in the pros while doing so having played on a Big Ten powerhouse where winning is simply standard practice.

Styles sees himself becoming a different version of Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, breaking down his fit during a recent edition of Up & Adams.

"Kyle Hamilton is one of those guys that can do a lot all over the field," Styles said. "He's an amazing player. So, I'd love to be in a scheme where I can do multiple roles and help a defense win."

Styles said that switching positions has helped him understand the game more deeply. He's excited to see all of his adaptations shine through at the next level, and will also recognize that change is simply part of the sport he so dearly loves and appreciates.

"Playing safety, I think that helped me understand the totality of a defense," Styles told NFL.com last month. "I played free safety, strong safety, [and] nickel my first two years, and being able to see the game from that lens and then now take that and move to linebacker, I think it helped me see the entire picture versus only seeing part of it."

Having all of those in tangibles, just makes Styles excited for the next level, regardless of what it brings.

"I think what's nice about having a coordinator who's able to put you in so many different positions and utilize you in that way, it's helping the entire defense because you become more unpredictable when there's guys like that on your defense who can do so many different things," Styles said.

Styles said he is unafraid of how his career plays out. He knows that the biggest thing he can control is the way he separates himself from everybody else on the field, while also remembering that he deserves to be in the moment just like everybody else, regardless of circumstance.

To be able to play in the same era as his brother, Lorenzo Styles, is priceless. Sonny Styles has been vocal about how much that means to him and is looking forward to following similar footsteps as his career progresses.

But for now, though, only time will tell.