The Washington Commanders massively disappointed last season after making it to the NFC Championship Game the year prior. Their down year can be pointed to the injuries across the roster, but their defense didn't do them any favors. The Commanders gave up a league-worst 384.0 yards per game and sixth-most points per game (26.5). The end result? Missing the playoffs and landing the seventh-overall pick.
With their top pick, it's no surprise that the Commanders addressed their defense. And luckily for them, one of the best prospects in the entire draft class fell into their laps, thanks in part to the Tennessee Titans taking Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate fourth-overall and the Kansas City Chiefs trading up to No. 6 to draft LSU Mansoor Delane.
The Commanders used the seventh overall pick to select Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who is a prospect that had one big fan in head coach Dan Quinn.
SONNY STYLES!@sonnystyles_ | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/esHCnCRybA
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 24, 2026
Sonny Styles falls to Commanders to help Dan Quinn fix defense
Look, during the NFL Draft process, there is a ton of smokescreen floating around, as teams try to get everyone off of their scents. But there was a common theme in the days leading up to the draft, and it's that Quinn was a huge fan of Styles. Todd McShay was the first to mention that in regards to Quinn's fandom of Styles, "that's his guy."
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler brought up that teams know that Quinn is a fan of Styles, and that they "believe Styles would be a dream Dan Quinn pick."
Styles was already considered to be the top linebacker prospect entering the draft process, but he blew everyone away during the NFL Scouting Combine back in February. Styles put up unreal numbers, such as a 4.46 second 40-yard dash and a 43.5 inch vertical jump, but of which were the best among all linebackers.
If there is one thing about Styles, it's that he is incredible at tracking down the ball carrier. Not only that, but he is a tackling machine and rarely misses tackles. That was evident this past season with the Buckeyes, as he didn't miss a single tackle in the regular season on 541 total snaps. That is just what the Commanders need, especially to limit the offenses of their NFC East rivals.
In 14 total games this past season, Styles recorded 82 combined tackles (46 solo, 36 assisted), 6.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.
The luxury of having a down season is the ability to draft an immediate difference maker for the next four seasons, minimum. For the Commanders, they were able to get one of the most athletic linebackers in recent memory in Styles.
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