Sonny Styles Wows at NFL Scouting Combine With 43 1/2-Inch Vertical, Outlines Areas to Improve
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, sonny styles combined eye-popping athletic testing with candid self-scouting that kept draft evaluators talking. His jumping and sprint numbers heightened buzz about his draft ceiling even as he told reporters he wants to sharpen specific parts of his game.
NFL Scouting Combine: explosive measurements in Indianapolis
On Thursday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the Ohio State linebacker posted a 43 1/2-inch vertical and an 11-foot-2 broad jump, and timed a 40-yard dash in 4. 46 seconds. The vertical was the highest at the combine for any player 6-4 or taller and for any player weighing 240 or more pounds since at least 2003. His broad jump led all participants on Thursday and sits among the best by linebackers in recent history, topped in the combine era only by Jamie Collins (11-7 in 2013), Bud Dupree (11-6 in 2015) and Willie Gay Jr. (11-4 in 2020).
He is the only player since 2003 at 230 or more pounds to pair a sub-4. 5 40-yard dash with a 40-plus-inch vertical and an 11-plus-foot broad jump, a combination NFL Research identified as unique. Styles also tied his Buckeyes teammate Arvell Reese for the fastest 40 among the defensive linemen and linebackers who participated on Thursday.
Sonny Styles: what he said about his own game
Earlier in the week, holding court with a large group of reporters on Wednesday morning, Styles spoke directly about what he needs to improve: zone coverage, creating more ball disruption and maintaining pad level. He emphasized wanting to show teams he is an intelligent football player who can articulate the nuances of the game rather than merely being a physical presence.
Styles outlined positional versatility, saying he can play Mike, Will or Sam and that calling plays is within his comfort zone. He stressed that comfort comes through repetition and earning trust in the locker room and from the defensive line in front of him.
Ohio State and coaching context from James Laurinaitis
Styles' move from safety to linebacker at Ohio State is credited with helping his coverage instincts. His linebackers coach, James Laurinaitis—who played eight years in the NFL—noted confidence in Styles early in the transition. Laurinaitis sent him a text predicting he would be a first-round linebacker before Styles fully believed it. At Ohio State, Styles also had experience calling plays for a national championship-winning Buckeyes team.
Stat lines and family lineage
Stat totals in the provided context differ slightly: one account lists 83 tackles, 1. 0 sack, a forced fumble, an interception and three passes defensed in the past season, while another lists 82 tackles (6. 5 for losses), one sack and one forced fumble in 14 starts. Both accounts identify him as the son of Lorenzo Styles Sr.; another note adds that his father played six NFL seasons and was part of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV-winning team.
Draft implications and external evaluations
Entering the week, Styles had generated buzz as a potential top-10 pick; one assessment in the context suggested he is unlikely to fall out of the first round. He was the No. 5-ranked player on Daniel Jeremiah's latest top 50 prospects list, and evaluators have compared him to established defenders such as Fred Warner and Kyle Hamilton. The combine showing — the vertical, broad jump and sub-4. 5 40 at his weight — amplified talk that the April draft placement could be solidified by this performance.
What makes this notable is the blend of elite measurable explosiveness and a player-driven narrative about developing craft: his testing has raised immediate draft optimism, while his own public focus on zone work, pad level and ball disruption signals a readiness to refine areas that scouts will scrutinize at the next level.
Interviews and outlook moving forward
The coverage surrounding Styles also included his public conversations about interviewing with NFL personnel—one headline noted an interview with Dan Morgan—underscoring that teams are delving into both his character and football intelligence as they evaluate him. With a rare combination of testing numbers and a clear list of self-identified improvements, the immediate effect is heightened draft momentum; the longer-term effect will depend on his demonstrated progress in coverage and tackling technique during team interviews and pre-draft workouts.
