Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The New York Giants are a historic franchise that has fallen on hard times of late. Long gone are the days of Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson wreaking havoc on offenses throughout the nation. Names like Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan are also a distant memory. The Giants have always in my mind been a team whose identity has centered around a tough defense to go up against. They can get back to that identity by selecting Sonny Styles.
Sonny Styles is the perfect prototype of what you look for in a defensive player: 6’5” 245 lbs, 4.46 40 time, and overall athletic freak. There are few prospects in recent memory that can match Styles’s unique blend of explosiveness, intelligence, speed, and coverage skills. His straight line speed is elite, he is an incredibly fluid runner, and most importantly he’s agile The coverage skills especially come from the fact that he started out as a safety at Ohio State before switching to linebacker.
This switch to LB is what has really allowed him to break out. He’s an absolute natural in coverage as one would expect of a former safety. It also makes him an incredibly versatile defender. He can play anywhere: outside, inside, strong, weak, drop into coverage, sit in the slot, or sit on the line of scrimmage.
The thing that stood out to me the most about Styles as a player is his intelligence. This guy can diagnose a play quickly, react to it, has the athleticism and closing speed to get to the areas he needs to get to, and blow up plays at will. He can make the switch from coverage to downhill pursuit quickly, often being the first player in the second level to diagnose a play and close in on the runner. His pre-snap pay recognition is impeccable. Meanwhile, his pure size and strength makes him a nightmare for potential blockers. To put it in context, Eagles EDGE Nolan Smith is 3 inches shorter and 7 pounds lighter than Styles. He has no problem matching up physically with offensive linemen as a result, although he still could use some refinement closer to the line partially due to still being new to the position.
That inexperience to me is his main weakness. He only has played LB for 2 years so there is still a lot that he has to learn about the position. He will not come into the NFL as a finished product. Luckily for the Giants, he doesn’t have to be. While I think they have a bright future as long as they can continue to bolster the OL and keep their offensive position players healthy, their best case scenario is about 8-9 wins. They can afford to take an athletic freak with high upside and give him the room to continue developing knowing that they are still a couple of years away from being truly dangerous. This lack of experience can also help explain his lack of strong counting stats. You are betting on his extremely high upside and athleticism.
Sonny Styles is a physical specimen who uses his safety background to help make him an extremely well-rounded defender overall. He’s arguably got the highest upside of any player in the entire draft, and while he still has a lot of room to improve he can step in and be an immediate contributor to an already solid Giants defense. This is the type of player that coaches dream of getting their hands on so they can help mold them into an All-Pro.
2026 BGN Mock Draft Order
1) Raiders (Mailata_in_a_Miata): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2) Jets (Dr.MidnightGreen): Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
3) Cardinals (grantspectations): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
4) Titans (DrBubbles): Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
5) Giants (ablesser88): Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
6) Browns (kjb304)
7) Commanders (Jerry Robinson 56)
8) Saints (VetStadiumSection358)
9) Chiefs (Hoosinole)
10) Bengals (chuckelberryfinn)
11) Dolphins (phillyfan)
12) Cowboys (Green Grampa)
13) Rams (All_Hail_Howie)
14) Ravens (215T1LL1D1e)
15) Buccaneers (pascofljoe)
16) Jets (Euegene11)
17) Lions (BCHaas)
18) Vikings (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop)
19) Panthers (LancGuy)
20) Cowboys (Cravin’ LeBlanc)
21) Steelers (iam4theBirdz)
22) Chargers (Aint1stULast)
23) Eagles (Philly21)
24) Browns (FierceDisc65)
25) Bears (jazztafari)
26) Bills (PhillyTexan)
27) 49ers (granthill7)
28) Texans (CrackTheEaglesNut)
29) Chiefs (z)
30) Dolphins (Booth12)
31) Patriots (Niels Rosenquist)
32) Seahawks (J. Wil)
Now it’s YOUR TURN to vote for who you think should be selected with this pick.
1) Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza
2) Jets: EDGE Arvell Reese
3) Cardinals: OT Francis Mauigoa
4) Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love
5) Giants:
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