Sonny Styles: What to know about sonny styles at the NFL Combine
sonny styles dominated testing at the NFL Combine, posting a 43. 5-inch vertical, an 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump and a 4. 46-second 40-yard dash. The former Ohio State linebacker turned heads Thursday, then prompted comparisons and reactions across the league.
Sonny Styles' historic tests
Styles produced a combine workout described as historic after an 83-tackle season at Ohio State. The 21-year-old, a former safety who reclassified in high school, recorded a 43. 5-inch vertical and an 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump. The vertical was only 1. 5 inches shy of the all-time combine record, and he was the only person over 240 pounds to clear 43 inches since 2003. The broad jump ranked fourth among linebackers at the combine since 1999.
Vertical jump and broad jump
At 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, Styles set a record in the vertical jump by a linebacker with the 43. 5-inch leap and led all prospects with his broad jump. His 92 estimated athletic score that day ranked first among all linebackers. Those numbers helped cement his status as a likely top-15 pick for the 2026 draft.
40-yard dash and sprint ties
Styles ran a 4. 46-second 40-yard dash, a time that was tied for the best of the day with former Ohio State teammate Arvell Reese. That 4. 46 matched the time put up by Falcons running back Bijan Robinson despite Styles being bigger. Reese is expected to be one of the first names taken off the board; he went fourth in Yahoo Sports' latest mock draft. Teams are preparing for the NFL Draft in 56 days.
Family and high school background
Basketball at Pickerington Central (Ohio) foreshadowed Styles' explosiveness: his high school highlight reels were full of rim-shaking dunks and blocks off the glass. He played on the same high school team as Buckeyes basketball player Devin Royal. Styles is the son of former linebacker Lorenzo Styles Sr., who played for the Buckeyes from 1992 to 1994 before a six-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Rams; Lorenzo Styles Sr. won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams.
Styles' older brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., transferred from Notre Dame and played alongside him at Ohio State. Lorenzo Styles Jr. posted an even faster 4. 28-second 40-yard dash and was a former kick returner.
Combine comparisons and reactions
Broadcasts and social clips amplified the reaction to Styles' testing. A slow-motion clip of Styles' 43. 5-inch vertical was posted by Stacey Dales on February 26, 2026. On Thursday night a network simulcam compared Styles to other high-profile players; those overlays included his 40-yard sprint against Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, and neither kept pace with Styles' 4. 46 time.
Kyle Hamilton said he felt like the rest of the audience and jokingly called Styles "1 of 1. " The two are built similarly on film, but Styles came in 24 pounds heavier while posting the better vertical jump and 40-yard dash time. The term "frame mogged" – when someone with a larger or more dominant physical build makes someone else look smaller or less athletic by comparison – was used in reaction to that broadcast comparison.
Ravens front-office views and moves
The combine coverage included notes relevant to the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have drafted two tight ends in the same class four times in franchise history, and Sonny Styles and Caleb Banks were both noted for impressive physical traits. Team commentary emphasized the 2026 draft class' talented edge players as a resource to strengthen the pass rush. General Manager Eric DeCosta said he views defensive tackle as "one of the most important positions in football. " New Ravens Head Coach Jesse Minter believes the league is driven by offensive and defensive lines.
Ravens coverage also pointed readers to past combine performances by current Ravens players and highlighted team roster priorities: Jesse Minter and the Ravens want to beef up in the trenches, the team is not ruling out an Isaiah Likely return, and Baltimore likes the pass rusher draft class. Eric DeCosta expressed a desire to retain center Tyler Linderbaum before the start of the new league year and said he is confident he can reach an extension with Lamar Jackson.
Ohio State context threaded through the combine weekend: Ohio State's defensive firepower made defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's first time coaching college football in 22 years simpler. Safety Caleb Downs' combine performance was scheduled to draw attention on Friday, with him expected to be one of the first defensive players taken in the draft; he was listed No. 5 in Yahoo Sports' mock. Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun was also working out at the combine on Friday.
Styles is projected to be selected No. 12 by the Cowboys in Yahoo Sports' latest mock draft. He followed a 21-year-old season as a former safety and an 83-tackle campaign with the combine workout that has become the defining moment of his pre-draft run.
Closing that day, the mix of metrics, family history, and national reactions made sonny styles one of the most talked-about prospects at the 2026 NFL Combine.
