Commanders roster rankings: rookie Sonny Styles comes in at No. 6

Editor’s note: We’ll count down the top 10 Commanders players on the 2026 roster regardless of position sporadically over the next few weeks. Before we get to it, here’s how we arrived at the ranking: Our Scott Bair, Scott Jennings and Mark Tyler compiled a top 13 – no ranking was identical — with points assigned to each ranking slot from all three lists. We used these point values to form a consensus top 10 ranking. We’ll write a story on each member of the top 10 and another on others receiving votes at the end. Plus, Mark will probably have a Tyler’s Take with his thoughts. You’ll surely object to some of these rankings, though debate is kind of the point with lists like this. Today we focus on No. 6: 

Sonny Styles has played linebacker for the past two seasons. That’s it. The career safety made a position switch halfway through his Ohio State tenure, and it was a smart one.  

Our top 10:Leo Chenal | Chig Okonwko | Nick Cross | Sam Cosmi 

He had 100 tackles and six sacks right away, during the 2024 Buckeyes’ national championship run. Styles followed that performance with 2025 first-team All-American honors. He was named a team captain and earned the prestigious Block 0.  

And then the combine happened. Styles put on an absolute show, with out-of-this-world testing metrics for someone standing 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds.  

It resulted in a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score.  

Game tape plus elite measurables plus high character virtually guaranteed Styles would be drafted high despite playing a non-premium position. Washington was thrilled that Styles was available at No. 7 overall and promptly made him a Commander.  

There’s no doubt about Styles’ athleticism and physical skills. He has shown high football IQ and excellent processing during the Commanders offseason program.  

Whether he should be placed high on a Washington roster ranking at this time is, well, up for some debate.  

Styles hasn’t taken an NFL snap. Heck, he hasn’t even put on pads as a professional. How can he be slotted into the Commanders roster ranking before he has done a single thing in a game? Valid question.  

Here’s my answer. Styles is as easily projectable a prospect as you’ll find. There’s zero doubt that his combination of speed, size and power will translate to the NFL. He’s tackling his sure. His agility is unquestioned.  

And we’re not saying that about a non-power-5 guy. He played at Ohio State, against excellent competition, often in front of massive crowds and under immense pressure.  

And he apparently works very, very hard. Just ask someone in every meeting with him.  

“He looks the part. He plays the part and he sounds the part,” fellow Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal said last week. “From a young guy and coming from a big program and playing like he did, he’s up for early meetings and staying late at the facility. He commands the defense well. He’s very communicative. He’s a freak athlete. I already see a great maturity from him that you don’t get a lot from younger guys. It has been cool to watch him already grow from a high starting point.” 

Will he make critical mistakes in 2026, possibly some that negatively impact Washington’s record? Sure. We could say that about everyone on this list. 

If he’s healthy, there’s little doubt that Styles can play NFL football at a high level. While there’s a reason rookies are rarely ranked this high this early, it’s fair to make an exception here.  

As we previously discussed, Styles has done absolutely nothing. Not as a professional, anyway. He had 182 tackles, including 17 for a loss, seven sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles in two combined seasons at linebacker in college.  

Head coach Dan Quinn said he checked every box based on what he could do during the offseason, while projecting confidence that he’ll perform well with assigned tasks once the pads go on and tackling eventually goes live.  

Styles will assume a central role in the Commanders defense. He might well wear the green dot. He’s going to play off-the-linebacker, with the prospect of moving around some as a pass rusher.  

We’re not going to project stats here, but he’s going to cover and tackle well. He’ll learn from inevitable mistakes and continue to grow and develop in a position that remains relatively new.  

What we do know: Styles is immensely talented, gifted with NFL-quality tools and a willingness to develop them. While it’s possible Styles has a rough rookie year, I’m willing to push chips toward the middle of the table saying he won’t. 

What do you think of Sonny Styles No. 6 spot in our Commanders roster rankings? Let us know in the comments below: