Ohio State's Sonny Styles Already Getting Kudos Ahead of NFL Rookie Year

Ohio State will certainly miss having linebacker Sonny Styles around heading into the 2026-27 season, but Buckeye fans will also enjoy seeing him on Sundays with the Washington Commanders.

Now, even with the NFL season a full four months away, Styles is already getting props and a great projection going into his new gig.

Tom Blair of the NFL’s official website has a feature out on Tuesday, May 5, highlighting 10 rookies who he believes could succeed in their first year in the NFL and going forward.

“The pipeline of prospect analysis has been cut off. All the anticipation over what could happen gave way to the excitement of selections and trades actually happening, and now it’s all in the history books,” Blair says in the article. “This portion of the calendar can feel a tad short on fuel for football obsessives.”

He picks Styles as the No. 1 player most likely to succeed in the upcoming season.

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“We already know Styles has the kind of athletic profile that gets folks googly-eyed. Now picture him using his superpowers to flow to the ball as the dynamic young centerpiece of Quinn’s fortified defense,” he says in the piece. “When Quinn says he ‘can’t wait to coach’ Styles, it might sound like boilerplate offseason hype, but in Quinn’s case, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually counting how many sleeps are left before he gets to work his prized new pupil into a defense that finished 31st in EPA per play last season, per Next Gen Stats.”

Why It Matters: Ohio State’s Sonny Styles Could Be Part of the Commanders’ Comeback Season

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Dan Quinn is known for developing young talent, and when he says that he’s excited to coach Styles, that means something. He’s watched extensive footage of this player and has a feeling that he has what it takes to make him an NFL star. The Commanders had a dismal 2025-26 season, but with Jayden Daniels’ offense back in a strong place and Styles on board, that could change quickly.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 12:16 PM.