Welcome to Washington Sonny Styles!

burgold said:
Was reading some comments and someone pointed out that we got another Sonny on the team. There is a cool randomness to this team drafting a Sonny the year we lost Jurgenson. Of course, Jurgenson played a different position, was traded to us, and was a HOFer, but poetically it's nice.
Click to expand...

Another poetic coincidence. We got another Anthony Mix on the team ;
Styles and Mix are the exact same height - 1.96 meters.
Styles will block a lot of passes
 

Sonny Styles​

In a draft in which the non-premium positions may have boasted the best players, the kinds of guys Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs were really mattered. And mostly, as I see it, because if you were going to swing on a running back or pure off-the-ball linebacker or safety, you’d want to know the pick was a safe one.


So what does that mean? I figured I’d take a closer look at one of those guys this week to explain it.

We’re going to use Styles—who went seventh overall to the Commanders—as the example, and he’s a really good one because of how rare it has become for a guy at his position to go that high. He’s the first pure off-ball linebacker drafted among the top 15 picks in the 2020s, and he’s just the sixth (Isaiah Simmons, Devin White, Devin Bush, Roquan Smith, Luke Kuechly) to go in the top 10 since the rookie salary scale was instituted with the 2011 CBA.

Here, then, are the keys to the Commanders getting comfortable with a big, long, rangy linebacker that looks like he was made in a lab to play in Dan Quinn’s defense …


• The length of the track record: Washington GM Adam Peters’ awareness of Styles goes all the way back to Styles’ freshman year, when he was at an Ohio State game as a 49ers exec with an area scout, who simply said to him, “That’s Sonny Styles,” as if everyone should know who he was. That’s the sort of recruit Styles was, arriving at age 17 after graduating high school a year early, even at a school chock full of blue-chippers. Styles became a starter the next year, in what would’ve been his true freshman season, and his first of three years starting. Peters took a mental note of the tall, lanky, big-framed defender.

• The teammate: At the combine, the Commanders interviewed all 11 Ohio State invitees, and the other 10 all brought Styles up as one of the guys they’d want to bring to the NFL with them. How strong fellow first-rounders Tate, Reese and Downs were on Styles really said to the Commanders that he was very much the guy on the 2025 team.

• The football IQ: Their meetings with Styles through the process only confirmed that he was the alpha—showing elite football intelligence, knowledge of the scheme inside and out and an ability to explain not just his role in the way things played out on tape, but his teammates’ responsibilities too.

• The upside: Styles’ first year starting was at safety, giving evaluators a look at his versatility and natural ability in coverage. The move to linebacker didn’t happen until 2024, and how he took to the position the last two years showed his adaptability, and also underscores that he’s just scratching the surface in that spot.

• The NFL translation: Peters and Ohio State DC Matt Patricia were coworkers two decades ago in New England and they talked a lot over the last few months, and Patricia told the GM what an incredible communicator, teammate and person Styles was. Patricia’s pro-style scheme also gave Quinn and new DC Daronte Jones (who worked under ex-Patricia colleague Brian Flores in Minnesota) a real look on tape at how Styles would fit into an NFL defense.

• The background: At the pro day in March, the Commanders got to see where Styles is from, with his entire family and his girlfriend in attendance.

• The person: At the Top Golf 30 visit that the Commanders do, he stood out again, mingling well with scouts, coaches and support staff—asking questions of everyone with humility and a very clear effort to try and use the day as a chance to get better. Linebackers coaches Ken Norton and George Banko loved him to the point where everyone joked that Norton was so engaged with Styles that he wasn’t going to let anyone else talk to him.

As you might imagine, after all that, the pick actually became relatively easy. And, indeed, because Styles doesn’t play a premium position, the Commanders were going to have to feel pretty good about him all the way around. Which, clearly, with all the above combined, they did.

www.si.com

Albert Breer’s Takeaways: Expectations, Best Comp for Arch Manning Looking Ahead to 2027 NFL Draft

The Texas QB is a trendy pick to be taken first. Plus, behind-the-scenes looks at the De’Zhaun Stribling and Sonny Styles picks and more.
www.si.com www.si.com
 
Okay, that Patricia ---> Flores ----> Daronte Jones connection is a little exciting. It means we don't have to project fit as much. Styles may come in familiar with some of the concepts we are trying to install.
 
skinsinparadise said:

Sonny Styles​

In a draft in which the non-premium positions may have boasted the best players, the kinds of guys Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs were really mattered. And mostly, as I see it, because if you were going to swing on a running back or pure off-the-ball linebacker or safety, you’d want to know the pick was a safe one.


So what does that mean? I figured I’d take a closer look at one of those guys this week to explain it.

We’re going to use Styles—who went seventh overall to the Commanders—as the example, and he’s a really good one because of how rare it has become for a guy at his position to go that high. He’s the first pure off-ball linebacker drafted among the top 15 picks in the 2020s, and he’s just the sixth (Isaiah Simmons, Devin White, Devin Bush, Roquan Smith, Luke Kuechly) to go in the top 10 since the rookie salary scale was instituted with the 2011 CBA.

Here, then, are the keys to the Commanders getting comfortable with a big, long, rangy linebacker that looks like he was made in a lab to play in Dan Quinn’s defense …


• The length of the track record: Washington GM Adam Peters’ awareness of Styles goes all the way back to Styles’ freshman year, when he was at an Ohio State game as a 49ers exec with an area scout, who simply said to him, “That’s Sonny Styles,” as if everyone should know who he was. That’s the sort of recruit Styles was, arriving at age 17 after graduating high school a year early, even at a school chock full of blue-chippers. Styles became a starter the next year, in what would’ve been his true freshman season, and his first of three years starting. Peters took a mental note of the tall, lanky, big-framed defender.

• The teammate: At the combine, the Commanders interviewed all 11 Ohio State invitees, and the other 10 all brought Styles up as one of the guys they’d want to bring to the NFL with them. How strong fellow first-rounders Tate, Reese and Downs were on Styles really said to the Commanders that he was very much the guy on the 2025 team.

• The football IQ: Their meetings with Styles through the process only confirmed that he was the alpha—showing elite football intelligence, knowledge of the scheme inside and out and an ability to explain not just his role in the way things played out on tape, but his teammates’ responsibilities too.

• The upside: Styles’ first year starting was at safety, giving evaluators a look at his versatility and natural ability in coverage. The move to linebacker didn’t happen until 2024, and how he took to the position the last two years showed his adaptability, and also underscores that he’s just scratching the surface in that spot.

• The NFL translation: Peters and Ohio State DC Matt Patricia were coworkers two decades ago in New England and they talked a lot over the last few months, and Patricia told the GM what an incredible communicator, teammate and person Styles was. Patricia’s pro-style scheme also gave Quinn and new DC Daronte Jones (who worked under ex-Patricia colleague Brian Flores in Minnesota) a real look on tape at how Styles would fit into an NFL defense.

• The background: At the pro day in March, the Commanders got to see where Styles is from, with his entire family and his girlfriend in attendance.

• The person: At the Top Golf 30 visit that the Commanders do, he stood out again, mingling well with scouts, coaches and support staff—asking questions of everyone with humility and a very clear effort to try and use the day as a chance to get better. Linebackers coaches Ken Norton and George Banko loved him to the point where everyone joked that Norton was so engaged with Styles that he wasn’t going to let anyone else talk to him.

As you might imagine, after all that, the pick actually became relatively easy. And, indeed, because Styles doesn’t play a premium position, the Commanders were going to have to feel pretty good about him all the way around. Which, clearly, with all the above combined, they did.

www.si.com

Albert Breer’s Takeaways: Expectations, Best Comp for Arch Manning Looking Ahead to 2027 NFL Draft

The Texas QB is a trendy pick to be taken first. Plus, behind-the-scenes looks at the De’Zhaun Stribling and Sonny Styles picks and more.
www.si.com www.si.com
Click to expand...

That is wild, sounds a lot different than the 2024 Top Golf.
 
burgold said:
Okay, that Patricia ---> Flores ----> Daronte Jones connection is a little exciting. It means we don't have to project fit as much. Styles may come in familiar with some of the concepts we are trying to install.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The weird thing is that while Ohio State had an all time great college defense, it did not do so by highlighting any one player specifically. So a lot of those guys have potential to do even more than what was shown, but they did not need to in college because the overall talent on that team was just unreal. Like Arvell Reese had way less pass rushing snaps than you'd think before they didn't need him to.

Styles projects cleanly to traditional LB roles, but he also shows potential of doing some funky stuff to take away a QB's safety valve that he was not asked to do much in college. Like if the QB sees the front then calls an audible and the TE goes in motion...Styles has the potential to follow and lock him down.

Similarly, there's potential he could actually cover some slots (obviously not Justin Jefferson in the slot), but matchup dependent, he could really throw a wrench into a QB's plans if that's how we want to counter an audible. Such as have our Nickel blitz, but then Styles covers it.

Like seriously, Styles hips and how he shifts to difficult pass targets are smooth as butter. This isn't a traditional LB... he's got real Brian Urlacher potential.
 
Agreed, but I was looking at something different. Patricia being on the Quinn and Flores tree might mean that Styles has some familiarity with the schemes, concepts, and philosophy of the system we are about to install. That could reduce his learning curve in getting this defense down.

All the rest of the stuff you said is true, too, though.
 
Why 52? Just curious
 
RedWolf said:
Why 52? Just curious
Click to expand...

Pretty legendary LB number (Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis) in general that has little real history here. The competition in Washington is longtime 80’s starter and SB champion Olkewicz, but literally no one ever talks about him these days, when reminiscing about those teams.

For that reason I think it’s a pretty cool choice. Just a quintessential stud LB # that we haven’t seen a ton of here
 
Conn said:
Pretty legendary LB number (Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis) in general that has little real history here. The competition in Washington is longtime 80’s starter and SB champion Olkewicz, but literally no one ever talks about him these days, when reminiscing about those teams.

For that reason I think it’s a pretty cool choice. Just a quintessential stud LB # that we haven’t seen a ton of here
Click to expand...
Conn stole my reply and shit. Could not have said it better myself.
 
Olkie remains one of my favorites. I put him in the same circle as Bostic, overachieving blue collar guys who played so much better than they should have. Glue guys that made the important plays who we would not have won without.
 
Conn said:
Pretty legendary LB number (Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis) in general that has little real history here. The competition in Washington is longtime 80’s starter and SB champion Olkewicz, but literally no one ever talks about him these days, when reminiscing about those teams.

For that reason I think it’s a pretty cool choice. Just a quintessential stud LB # that we haven’t seen a ton of here
Click to expand...
Loved me some Neal Olkewicz, and I'm glad Styles chose that number. Excited to see what the D can do with actual talent and competent coaching/development.
 



Why does this feel like a relief?

Correct me if i'm wrong, but haven't we seen recently where we are one of the last teams to ink our first round / rookie deals?
 
Primus Porcus said:



Why does this feel like a relief?

Correct me if i'm wrong, but haven't we seen recently where we are one of the last teams to ink our first round / rookie deals?
Click to expand...


Us? No way. We've had none of that drama. That's being a little overly paranoid.

We're not the Bengals or Chargers. I feel like we sign them roughly when the rest of the league does.
 
Sonny seemed genuinely enthused about being here. Likewise, Peters and Quinn seemed over the moon. I would have been shocked if there was contract drama.
 
Always Commander Never Captain said:
Us? No way. We've had none of that drama. That's being a little overly paranoid.

We're not the Bengals or Chargers. I feel like we sign them roughly when the rest of the league does.
Click to expand...
There was some drama with Amos last year--but a lot of 2nd rounders were holding out, as I recall, to get more guaranteed money? Something like that?
 
Riggo44 said:
There was some drama with Amos last year--but a lot of 2nd rounders were holding out, as I recall, to get more guaranteed money? Something like that?
Click to expand...

Yeah there’s a particular block of picks in the 2nd round that have had a little drama over guarantees in recent years for some reason. I remember everyone being confused bc the rookie wage scale is supposed to keep things pretty clear but apparently there’s a little wiggle room on certain things
 
 
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