Cowboys 2026 draft: LB Sonny Styles scouting report
We continue our 2026 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Sonny Styles
LB
Ohio State
Senior
5-star recruit
6’4”
243 lbs
History
As a true freshman at Ohio State in 2022, he was eased in defensively playing the safety position, but got real game reps. He featured in 10 games, making nine tackles and one tackle for loss.
In 2023, he broke into the lineup as a versatile safety piece and his production jumped. He played in 13 games registering 53 tackles, 4.5 TFL, two sacks, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.
In 2024, Ohio State’s staff essentially weaponized his size and athleticism by transitioning him into a true linebacker role, and the numbers exploded. In 16 games, Styles made 100 tackles, 10.5 TFL, six sacks, five PBUs, one forced fumble, and one recovery. That season ended with Ohio State winning the 2024 CFP national championship, and Styles had signature postseason moments. He had nine tackles, three TFL, a sack and a forced fumble against Texas in the semifinal and followed that with six tackles, one TFL, and one sack against Notre Dame in National Championship.
In 2025, he was the grown-up version from the year before. He finished 14 games with 82 tackles, seven TFL, one sack, and one interception. He was also a high-profile leader and Ohio State awarded him the Block “O” (the coveted number zero) jersey for 2025, a team honor tied to accountability and leadership.
2025 Statistics
663 Defensive Snaps
82 Total Tackles
7 Tackles for Loss
1 Sack
1 Interception
3 Pass Breakups
1 Forced Fumble
2 Missed Tackles
0 Penalties
Snap by Postion
On The Line- 20%
Box- 69%
Slot- 10%
NFL Combine/Pro Day
N/A
Awards
2024: Second-Team All-Big Ten
2025: First-Team All-Big Ten.
2025: First-Team All-American
Scorecard
Overall– 87.5
Speed- 95
Acceleration- 91
Agility- 88
Strength- 82
Tackling- 90
Run Defense- 91
Pass Rush- 66
Coverage- 86
Discipline- 99
THE GOOD
- Rare size and length for a former safety.
- Three-down coverage ability.
- Smooth in zone drops, comfortable matching tight ends and big slots receivers, and plays the ball with defensive back instincts.
- Covers ground quickly from depth and triggers downhill fast to finish plays.
- Decisive downhill ability and real pop on contact.
- High processing and football IQ.
- Reads route concepts well in zone and generally takes efficient angles to the football.
- Competitive temperament and leadership traits.
THE BAD
- Can get too easily washed by climbing linemen.
- Play strength is a big question. He needs more functional mass and anchor so he isn’t displaced on downhill runs.
- Will bite on play fakes.
- Can be stressed by quick-twitch slot receivers and sharp-breaking routes.
- Limited pass-rush impact.
- Has a habit of getting lost in the mesh on outside runs and will get stuck in the congestion.
- Experience at the position.
THE FIT
Styles is best used as a modern three-down, space linebacker in a defense that values versatility. He’s someone you can align as an off-ball WILL linebacker, walk out to cover the slot to be a tight end killer, and occasionally send him at the quarterback on creeper pressures because of his blitz ability. The ideal scheme keeps him clean with movement and slants up front, lets him play fast downhill as a run-and-hit defender, and leverages his fluidity as a seam coverage player rather than turning him into a pure box-thumper every snap.
SUMMARY
Styles is built for today’s spread NFL. He’s a former safety with rare size and length who covers like a defensive back, triggers downhill with real closing burst, and can be deployed as a matchup piece versus tight ends and bigger slots while still giving teams credible run stopping ability between the tackles. His best traits come in the form of range, fluidity and processing in space. He plays with good vision in zone, has the wingspan to crowd windows, and his athletic profile lets a coordinator disguise intentions without substituting.
The main improvement points are more consistent block deconstruction and play strength at the point of attack when uncovered linemen climb to him, tighter tackling angles when he arrives from depth, and continuing to refine his pass-rush plan if a team wants him as more than an occasional pressure add-on.
Overall, his NFL projection is a high-end starter in a nickel-heavy defense where his coverage value and versatility can make him a centerpiece rather than a role player.
COMPARISON
Fred Warner
BTB OVERALL RANKING
20th
CONSENSUS OVERALL RANKING
12th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services, including BTB)
Would Dallas be right to take him at 12? What about at 20?
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