The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine kicked into high gear Thursday with the first round of on-field workouts, and Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles wasted no time stealing the spotlight.
After checking in with some rare measurements for his position earlier in the week, Styles put on an absolute show for league scouts and executives, as well as anyone who tuned into NFL Network’s televised coverage.
Styles measured in at 6-5 and 244 pounds, with nearly 33-inch arms and 10-inch hands, and a wingspan just shy of 81 inches. He then proceeded to deliver one of the most incredible combine workouts we’ve ever seen, regardless of position.
Here’s his 40-yard dash, which ended up being officially timed at 4.48 seconds:
SONNY. STYLES.
The @OhioStateFB answers back with a 4.47u for himself.
2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TLaMhaJtb5— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2026
How about a vertical jump of 43.5 inches, and a broad jump of 11 feet, two inches?
Sonny Styles’ 43.5 vertical jump. Insane. pic.twitter.com/09hgEp8zrU
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) February 26, 2026
Sonny Styles: 11’2” BROAD
Right after his 43.5” vert pic.twitter.com/ihIWcKZ9H2— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) February 26, 2026
Styles kept a good thing going through the various on-field positional drills, too:
Sonny Styles wave drill pic.twitter.com/KaOEYp5wNL
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 27, 2026
Sonny Styles 4 bag agility pic.twitter.com/VZbL6hmWdG
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 27, 2026
Put that all together, and you’ve got a rare talent that drew some ridiculous comparisons and well-deserved reactions from the NFL Draft world:
Sonny Styles is a LB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 10.00 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1 out of 3215 LB from 1987 to 2026.
Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left, bench tmrw, but 10.00 RAS watch is officially on!… pic.twitter.com/f2JFhymsXH— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 27, 2026
Some context for Sonny Styles’ insane 43.5-inch vert:
– Highest jump of any linebacker at the Combine since 1999
– Tied for 15th highest jump since 1999 of any position
– Only player since 1999 to jump over 43 inches weighing over 240 lbs.— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 26, 2026
Sonny Styles profile…
6'5" ➡️ same as Calvin Johnson
244lbs ➡️ three pounds lighter than Derrick Henry
43.5" vert ➡️ same as Nate Robinson's max vert
4.46s forty ➡️ same as Bijan Robinson
135" broad jump ➡️ same as Julio Jones
FREAK ATHLETE pic.twitter.com/mFx13ywggF— Underdog (@Underdog) February 27, 2026
Coming into this week, Styles was already regarded as the best off-ball linebacker in this year’s class, and it wasn’t terribly close. After this performance, Styles has gone from an impressive player who might fall out of the top 10 due to positional value, to one of the truly elite talents in the entire draft and a potential top-five pick.
After the Las Vegas Raiders make the predictable pick of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall, the conversation for Styles has to start at the very next spot; not just because of this performance, but because these numbers back up his impressive film that shows a versatile and complete playmaker who can make big plays on every down against both the run and pass.
If you were hoping Styles would fall out of the top 10 and land in your favorite team’s lap, you can safely bury those dreams at this point. He might not get out of the top five now.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
