Overview
- National buzz is rising for the Ohio State linebacker, with NFL.com’s Tom Blair ranking Styles the No. 1 rookie most likely to succeed this season.
- Styles’ combine numbers underline rare size-speed traits, including a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and a 43.5-inch vertical at 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds.
- Washington expects him to play all three downs as a coverage-capable linebacker for a defense that finished 31st in EPA per play last season, according to Next Gen Stats cited by NFL.com.
- The Commanders made only six picks after earlier trades cost draft capital, which puts extra weight on hitting with a top-10 defender like Styles.
- Day 3 help also drew notice, as USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz labeled fifth-round edge rusher Joshua Josephs the draft’s “Biggest Steal,” while teammate Nick Cross praised Styles’ range and physicality in an interview.