Sonny Styles is one of the top rookies entering the 2026 NFL season.
The No. 7 overall pick in the draft of the Washington Commanders has high expectations after a prolific career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 21-year-old linebacker was a First-Team All-American selection last year with the Buckeyes and he won a national championship while at Ohio State.
Entering his rookie season with the Commanders, Styles is one of the Defensive Rookie of the Year favorites, with betting odds listing him as fourth in the awards conversation.
As Styles prepares for his first season in the NFL, he took the time talk about a range of topics, including adjusting to the NFL, playing with Jayden Daniels and his objectives for his rookie season.
Q: Talk about your rookie experience with the Commander so far leading into the season.
Styles:It's been good. Just getting adjusted to the new locker room, new playbook, things like that. But at the end of the day, it's still football. Playbook is the playbook. Especially for defense, there's only so many different kinds of defenses you can run. It's just the way you call is a little different. So, luckily, with Coach (Damonte) Jones, it's been pretty easy to comprehend. And then the guys in the locker room are a bunch of great dudes, so it's been awesome.
Q: If I were to put you on the spot, and ask you what has been the biggest adjustment so far? What would you say has been the biggest adjustment so far?
Styles:The quarterbacks are much better. No offense to any quarterbacks I played with in college. I played with great ones, but I'm just saying in practice, I used to see it a little bit with CJ (Stroud) when I was a freshman, CJ was basically an NFL quarterback by the time I was a freshman. He was already there, but just the throws they make in practice, or how the ball is coming out, it's impressive.
But like for the most part, like I said, it just feels like ball. I was talking to some guys who were in town (at the start of OTAs), they just played with me my junior year, they're in the NFL now. We're just talking about the guys we went up against in practice. When I go to practice in the NFL, it doesn't really feel crazy different, especially when I lined up in practice (at Ohio State), I see Emeka Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison, C.J. Stroud's the quarterback, Will Howard's the quarterback, or TreVeyon Henderson.
All these different guys. Paris Johnson, I'm lining up against NFL players every day in practice. So now it doesn't feel like this crazy adjustment, and that's why I think Ohio State we have the slogan, "Develop here." I truly do think being at Ohio State, you get developed, you get ready to be a pro.
Q: You're playing with Jayden Daniels. He did amazing his rookie year, got a little bit banged up last year, but he's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Talk about teaming up with him a little bit. Have you had any notable conversations with Jayden?
Styles:Yeah, Jayden is awesome. He's a cool dude, he's a good leader. I think the biggest thing for him, he's always going to be that calm, cool, collective guy. I think you need that in the quarterback, yhow to be able to be in the fire with him actually during the game, but that just kind of seems what his personality is like. To have that as a leader, as a quarterback, that's going to be very powerful, when you get in those big moments in the games. He's calm, he's confident, that's going to really help the team.
Q: You talk about his amazing personality trait of being cool and composed on the field. What do you think his best trait is?
Styles:It's obviously he can make any throw on the field, he has a a great alarm. I would say probably the ability to make something happen when nothing's there. I think that's what all great quarterbacks have, they're able to extend plays, keep their eyes on the field, and make some crazy throw. Or if he's got a run, he can make some crazy run.
I think when you're looking at a great quarterback, that's what traits they have, the ability to make something happen when nothing's there. No one's open, the pockets closing. He's definitely a guy that you got to worry about making something happen. It's so deflating to be on the other side, that as a defense, it's third and 10, you drive back, everyone's covered, he's sitting in the pocket, patting the ball, then all of a sudden he runs for a first down, or he scrambles to the sideline, hits a throw 30 yards down the field. With him, once he breaks the pocket, it's a whole second play. He's so explosive in that manner.
Q: You come from a winning program. You won a national championship. A little over a year ago, the Commanders were in the NFC Championship game. They got banged up a lot with injuries last season. What is the key for the Commanders to do well this season?
Styles:You talk about staying healthy and stuff, but obviously you want to stay as healthy as you can. But there's no secret formula to winning. It's everyone doing their job, everyone buying in, and everyone showing up to work every single day, and just attacking with everything they got. I think it's a long season. Things happen sometimes, guys' minds can get out of it, but I think if everyone stays there, we're all in, and we trust each other. Everyone shows up and does their 1/11 on the field, the talent's there, so it's just about being consistent and doing it for 17 weeks straight. You pick your head up and see you're in the playoffs, and you go a little bit more after that.
Editor's Note: Before placing your wagers this season, check out our guide on prediction markets vs. sportsbooks for NFL to understand how the odds and platforms differ. If you want to back the Commanders' this season, check out these best NFL prediction market promos.
Q: What's the most notable thing that you've learned from Dan Quinn so far?
Styles:Actually had a conversation with him one day probably in the middle of the OTAs, and he had me do an exercise of basically just talking about anything you're worried about, whether it be he kind of brought up different examples, expectations of trying to be a leader, or anything like that, just let all that go, just drop it, just let that weight off your shoulders, and just play football.
He told me he kind of had similar conversations with Jayden, but like there's no crazy — you don't have to be some different person or try and fit this mold of what someone says you should be. He said I was brought here for a reason. He's confident what I can do. If you have anything that you're worried about, just let it all go. It wasn't like I was doing anything wrong or anything bad was going on. I think he understands you get drafted as a first round pick — regardless of one through 32 — you're the first pick for a team.
There's a lot of expectations that come with that. I think he just wanted to let me know that you don't have to worry about any of that. He's confident in me, and just go out there and have fun. That's what we talked about. It's still a game you love when you're a little kid, and just have fun.
Q: You're used to playing with ridiculously talented players. You brought up a number of them this year, Carnell Tate and Arvell Reese, all of you guys top seven picks. That's insane, all from one school. Talk about the biggest thing that you learned at Ohio State, and how it prepared you for the NFL?
Styles:Biggest thing I learned, honestly, just doing your job. I think sometimes, like we were saying earlier, I was saying there's no secret formula — sometimes we can overcomplicate success and what that might look like. But it's really just doing your job, doing your part. We used to do a lot of stuff in the off season, meet-up squads and stuff, if someone would show up late like that, they would bring other guys in on Saturday morning, and bring in coaches and stuff like that. It was just all to show you like when you mess up you're affecting all these people. It's just an emphasis on doing your job.
I think another thing that I learned is we talk about fight, that's our culture is fight, and just fighting every day to be the best version of yourself. That's what coach used to say all the time every day, "Can I win today? Can I win the moment?" The moment might be an off-season workout, the moment might be first inside drill, and the first week of camp, or the moment might be it's the NFC Championship. Whatever the moment it may be, you're trying to win the moment each and every day. That was something I really learned from coach, and I think he does a really good job just pushing the culture and pushing this kind of mindset. And everyone bought in.
Q: You played at that big time program, you're expected to win every game, you're competing for a national championship. Do you think that prepared you well for the NFL, where the pressure doesn't get to you like it may to other rookies.
Styles:We used to say every day, you can't have a bad day, there's no such thing. If you have a bad day, bad season, everyone's gonna blow up Columbus or something crazy. We lose a game around here, so the pressure is always on, and the pressure is a privilege being at Ohio State. So now being in the NFL, to have pressure and things like that, it's no big deal. Pressure is a privilege, like I said. But yeah, being in Ohio, you lose one game around here, they're getting ready to fire the head coach, so there's some high expectations.
Q: What are your objectives for your rookie season? You can talk about team or you can talk about individual.
Styles: Me, individually, I'm just trying to carve out my role, figure out how I can help the team win, whether I'm playing MIKE, WILL, SAM on special teams, whatever that may look like. Just help the team win. And then collectively as a team, try to win the Super Bowl.
But I mean, it just starts with Week 1 with Philly, just giving everything I got each and every week. Just showing up, doing my 1/11, doing my job, and knowing that's the guys are counting on me.
Q: Obviously, number one objective is to win, but you would love to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, obviously, right? That's definitely got to be an objective, right?
Styles:Yeah, that's something in there for me. I just keep those kinds of things to myself, though.
