You need just one hand to count them all.
Sonny Styles has missed three tackles in two years while starring in the middle of the Ohio State defense, emerging as one of the best players in the 2026 NFL Draft with a stat line that only tells part of his impressive story.
“Just watching him around the other prospects here this week – and right now they haven’t even stepped on the field – he’s the one you notice,” one NFL scout told NorthJersey.com and The Record. “The vibe he gives off is just, ‘I’m the leader, follow me.'”
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Styles arrived at the NFL Combine last month somewhat under the radar, given the star power of his Ohio State teammates Vell Reese and Carnell Tate, the edge rusher and wide receiver who had been projected as consensus Top 10 picks.
But it was Styles that left the event as the most talked-about prospect on and off the field. He was already wowing people, the New York Giants included, and they came away from their formal interview with the 6-foot-4, 245-pound linebacker extremely impressed, two sources told NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Giants brass is set to get another closer look at Styles and his Buckeye teammates on Wednesday in Columbus at the Ohio State Pro Day with general manager Joe Schoen and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, among others, expected in attendance.
The fact that John Harbaugh might be enamored with an inside linebacker is certainly not a surprise.
“That meeting was awesome,” Styles said during his media interview with the Giants at the Combine, namedropping Harbaugh and linebackers coach Frank Bush.
The history in Baltimore at the position during Harbaugh’s 18-year tenure speaks for itself. He had All-Pros in Ray Lewis and C.J. Mosley in the middle of talented defenses. The Ravens also had Patrick Queen, a first-round pick, and when that did not pan out to the level the Ravens hoped, they went and traded for another All-Pro in Roquan Smith.
The Giants signed Tremaine Edmunds at the position in free agency and brought back Micah McFadden on a one-year deal, but the idea of adding Styles as a game-altering presence on this defense is certainly appealing.
Asked for what he sees in the players at the top of this draft thus far in his evaluation, Harbaugh quipped: “A lot of good players. A lot of good players. I mean, there’s gonna be a great one there at No. 5. I promise you that. It’s gonna be a guy that can really help us be better, for sure. That’s 100%, for sure.”
If there is a constant to the Harbaugh defenses, it’s the man in the middle – and Styles is the best in this class.
“At the end of the day, you just got to get as many good football players that play the way you want to play on the field,” Harbaugh said at the Combine. “You’ve got to put as many good football players as you can out there, so you don’t want to sacrifice a really good player because it’s not a need or a value position. They’re all important. You know? The inside linebacker isn’t always considered a value position, but you can’t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle. Right? You can’t do it. So, you know, that becomes pretty important.”
Styles was long considered one of college football’s premier athletes, but last season he emerged as one of the sport’s savviest defenders. He learned how to study offenses and used his versatility and athleticism to adapt to different packages used by former NFL coach and respected defensive mind Matt Patricia, whose unit played off of Styles’ ability to consistently put himself in position to make stops against both the run and pass. His instincts and diagnostic skills were off the charts.
“I want to show [teams throughout the evaluation process] that I’m aware of what I need to get better at,” said Styles, 21. “I want to show them I’m an intelligent football player and I’m not just a guy that’s just out there running and hitting. That’s part of the game too, but you got to be a smart football player, especially in the NFL and them be able to talk about I think I’m a very versatile linebacker, I think I can do a lot for a defense from that second level.”
Styles can move sideline-to-sideline in coverage while also flashing a strong desire to fill gaps in the run game. He is strong enough in his fundamentals to shed blockers and knows how to match up against running backs, tight ends and receivers alike going back to his safety days.
How does a kid named Alex earn the nickname by which he is now commonly referred? A short fuse that led to a fiery temperament as a child prompted his parents to call their oldest son, “Sonny,” after James Caan’s hot-headed Sonny Corleone character in “The Godfather.”
“He’s imposing at 6-4 and 245 pounds, no question,” one NFL coach said of Styles, who ran a 4.46 at the Combine. “But he moves like he’s 220 and hits like he’s 260.”
The Giants promise they won’t be prisoners of positional value, which opens up their first-round path to placing a priority on football production over traits if all things are equal.
“No matter what pick I go, I do believe I can make a difference, whatever that role may look like,” Styles said. “Whatever club I get to, figure out what my role is and just be a champion at that role. All that takes is being consistent, showing up and working hard each and every day.”
ESPN analyst Jordan Reid sees a lot of 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner in Styles’ game, while the player himself called Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Luke Kuechly as a linebacker someone he idolizes.
“During the fall, I travel the country and I’m seeing all these players up close,” Reid told NorthJersey.com and The Record. “He’s the most impressive from a physical standpoint that I’ve seen when I was on the road. Just talking about who he could be on the next level and stylistically who he reminds me of, because of how he moves around, is Fred Warner. He only had one missed tackle all of last season, which is hard to fathom. That’s a true MIKE linebacker if there ever was one.”
With Styles and substance, the Giants might be on the verge of welcoming another inside linebacker to the franchise.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Sonny Styles would fit with NY Giants if he’s the pick at No. 5
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