Sonny Styles spent the vast majority of his college career at Ohio State flying under the radar, at least compared to his superstar teammates. But after the NFL Scouting Combine, it’s safe to say that’s no longer the case.
Throughout the season, Styles was a consistent playmaker who simply didn’t make mistakes – he didn’t so much as miss a tackle until Ohio State’s College Football Playoff showdown with Miami – but he never quite had the starpower of his teammates.
Obviously, Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Julian Sayin stole a lot of the headlines along with his superstar wide receiver tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Smith won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country, while Tate is widely projected to be the top wide receiver selected in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
On the defensive side of the ball, unanimous All-American safety Caleb Downs obviously led the way for the team. However, projected first-round pick Arvell Reese even outshone Styles at the linebacker position, as some have even projected that he could be the first defensive player selected in the NFL Draft thanks to his pass rushing abililty.
But at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, it was Styles who stood out from everybody – his teammates and everyone else. Simply put, Styles put together perhaps the most impressive athletic performance ever seen at the combine.
Styles Puts Up Historic Numbers
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 244 pounds, Styles spent the afternoon showcasing absolutely uncanny athleticism for someone of his size.
Styles ran a blistering 4.46-second time in the 40-yard-dash, tying Reese, his college teammate, for the fastest time of any linebacker or defensive lineman. Styles then made history with his 43.5-inch vertical jump, marking the highest by a player over 6-4 weighing more than 240 pounds since at least 2003. He then posted an 11-2 broad jump, which was the fourth-best number of any linebacker in the past six years.
After all was said and done, Styles stood alone as the only player to run a 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds with a vertical of more than 40 inches plus a broad jump of more than 11 feet at 230 or more pounds since at least 2003, according to NFL Research. And he did it all with a 6-foot-5, 244-pound frame.
To add a little more context, his 6-foot-5 height is the same as that of legendary wide receiver Calvin Johnson. His 244-pound weight is about the same as that of superstar running back Derrick Henry. His 43.5-inch vertical matches the maximum vertical of former NBA star Nate Robinson, who was renowned for his jumping ability. His 4.46-second 40-yard-dash is the same as that of superstar home-run-hitting running back Bijan Robinson. And his 135-inch broad jump matches legendary wide receiver Julio Jones.
The Perfect Prospect at 4 Positions
Style’s performance at the NFL Scouting Combine was so impressive that when you compare his physical traits to others, he is an almost perfect prospect at four different positions, including two that he’s never played before.
Developed by Kent Lee Platte, Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is a 0–10 metric that compares an NFL prospect’s combine/pro-day results – height, weight, speed, explosiveness, and agility – against historical data from 1987 to the present. It provides a standardized, color-coded, position-specific grade for evaluating athleticism.
Based on this data, Styles was a nearly perfect prospect as a linebacker and a safety – both positions where he played during his college career – but also as a cornerback and a defensive end.
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 27, 2026
Needless to say, there are quite a few interesting players in the 2026 NFL Draft, but Styles might have just shot himself to the top with this performance at the combine.
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