Lorenzo Styles: lorenzo styles runs fastest 40 by a safety since at least 2003
Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. left Indianapolis with a headline-grabbing official 40-yard dash of 4. 27 seconds on Friday, and that burst — the fastest by a combine safety since at least 2003 — shifted attention at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. The result matters because it came amid a two-day spotlight on the Styles family and a broader wave of defensive prospects posting big numbers at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Combine setting: on-field workouts, Lucas Oil Stadium and the Styles spotlight
On-field workouts began Thursday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with defensive linemen and linebackers taking the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. That opening day featured a breakout showing from Sonny Styles, and by Friday the Styles family was widely discussed as taking over the event. Through two days of the combine, the Styles brothers were described as running away with the spotlight.
Lorenzo Styles's 4. 27 40 and the vertical jump
Lorenzo Styles Jr. posted an official 40-yard dash time of 4. 27 seconds on Friday — the fastest 40 by a combine safety since at least 2003. He opted not to perform the broad jump but recorded a 39-inch vertical, a mark that placed him near the top of the leaderboard in that drill. It is rare for a safety to outpace the defensive back group in the 40; Missouri cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. paced the cornerback group with a 4. 32-second 40.
Sonny Styles's Thursday showcase and measurements
Sonny Styles was the combine headliner on Thursday after a showcase performance in jumping and running drills and in positional work. Sonny Styles, an Ohio State linebacker and Lorenzo's teammate the past three seasons, measured 6'5" and 244 pounds, ran a 4. 46-second 40-yard dash, posted a 43. 5-inch vertical and recorded a 135-inch broad jump. That 4. 46 time matched Bijan Robinson, and the 135-inch broad jump equaled what Julio Jones posted. Sonny's vertical was noted as the best at his position dating back to 2003, and his Thursday showing was described as having raised his draft stock — he had been listed as a locked top-15 pick and Thursday's results suggested he could move into the top five.
College chronology and family NFL ties for Lorenzo Styles
Lorenzo Styles Jr. began his college career as a wide receiver at Notre Dame in 2021 and 2022, where he caught 54 passes across those two seasons before transferring to Ohio State and converting to defensive back. In three seasons with the Buckeyes, he never recorded an interception but logged 46 tackles and seven passes defended. Football runs in the family: their father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., played six NFL seasons and was part of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV-winning team.
Linebackers, edge rushers and other combine standouts
The combine unfolded with a slate of linebacker and edge performances that also drew attention. David Bailey ran a 4. 50 40-yard dash with a 1. 62 10-yard split, posted a 35-inch vertical and a 10'9" broad jump; his 4. 50 was the fastest 40 of any defensive lineman and his bag-drill force was highlighted. Bailey had been projected as a top-10 pick and his workout was framed as potentially elevating him as high as the No. 2 overall pick.
Arvell Reese, who played both as an edge rusher and an off-ball linebacker for Ohio State, clocked a 4. 47 40 and was listed at 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, showing the quickness that aided his two-way role. Jacob Rodriguez reached a top speed of 18. 43 miles per hour during the backpedal-and-react drill — the fastest by any linebacker over the last four years — bypassing Jack Kiser, Jihaad Campbell, Trevin Wallace and Carson Bruener in that metric. Rodriguez also nabbed the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Butkus Award and the Lombardi Award during his collegiate career; age and size were noted as concerns that had led to middle-round projections, but he led linebackers in the 20-yard shuttle and the 3-cone drill and had an FBS-leading seven forced fumbles in 2025.
Kyle Louis backed up a Senior Bowl showing by ranking fifth among linebackers in the 40 with a 4. 53, third in the 10-yard split at 1. 58, fourth in the vertical at 39. 50 and second in the broad jump at 10'9"; he posted 24 tackles for loss, six interceptions and 10 sacks over the past two seasons and was described as undersized for an NFL linebacker but versatile enough to play box safety or big nickel. Malachi Lawrence ran a 4. 52 40, second only to David Bailey among the group; Lawrence generated 60 pressures over the previous two seasons and his combine debut was said to have created buzz that could push him into the second round.
Other notes from Indianapolis: tight ends, quarterbacks and measurement talk
Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq made combine history on Friday by running the fastest 40-yard dash by a tight end since at least 2003. Questions were raised about prospects across position groups — whether Toriano Pride Jr. boosted his profile, whether Ty Simpson is ready to be a franchise quarterback and how certain players changed their draft outlooks. Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. 's arm measured 30 and 7/8 inches on Thursday; Bain said on Wednesday that NFL clubs did not appear too focused on that measurement. Observers in Indianapolis offered stock reports and takeaways: Chad Reuter provided a stock report from the event, and Dan Parr presented five takeaways from Daniel Jeremiah's combine press conference. Jermod McCoy was noted as skipping on-field drills in Indy.
The combine's early workout sessions at Lucas Oil Stadium produced a long list of measurable performances that reshaped evaluations over the first two days — and left the Styles brothers, particularly Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Sonny Styles, as among the most discussed prospects in Indianapolis.
