The Washington Commanders went looking for nothing short of a franchise cornerstone in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft — they may have found 1 in off-ball linebacker and No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles.
Styles thrilled the Commanders and their fans in his 1st day of training camp with full pads — the 1st day of actual practice — and showed why he might be worth every penny and more of his 4-year, $37.7 million rookie contract.
“Absolute Unit,” the Commanders wrote on their official X account on Monday.
Styles is already being paid more than the Commanders’ 2 presumed starting inside linebackers before the draft in free-agent signee and 2-time Super Bowl champion Leo Chenal (2 years, $24 million) and NFL All-Pro Frankie Luvu (3 years, $31 million).
“I can honestly say, I think we drafted a future Hall of Famer,” Commanders fan Janky Rondo wrote on his official X account.
“Sweat flying everywhere. Blood on his jersey. It’s the first day of pads. We got a (expletive) monster,” Commanders superfan Brady wrote on his official X account.
“Pray for anyone catching a slant across the middle against this team this year,” Commanders fan Dullah wrote on its official X account.
“Sonny is going to be a monster in the league,” Bunch of Nuts podcast wrote on its official X account.
Sonny Styles Compared to Pro Football Hall of Famer
The Athletic’s Mike Sando singled out drafting Styles as his favorite offseason move for the Commanders and compared him to former Commanders linebacker and future 1st ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inside linebacker Bobby Wagner.
“Wagner is headed for the Hall of Fame when eligible, while first-round pick Sonny Styles is just starting out,” Sando wrote. “But all indications suggest Styles possesses the talent and leadership to pick up where Wagner left off as the Commanders’ defensive leader — if not right now, then quickly.”
Wagner, an 11-time NFL All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowler, is a free agent who is just 19 tackles away from breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis’ NFL career record of 1,568 tackles.
He racked up 294 tackles over the last 2 seasons for the Commanders on a pair of 1-year contracts. He was an NFL All-Pro in 2024 after he led Washington to a 12-5 regular-season record and into the NFC Championship Game for the 1st time since 1991.
Washington’s regression to a 5-12 regular-season record in 2025 helped usher in the Styles era and booted Wagner out into the cold waters of free agency at 35 years old.
Styles Sent Heads Spinning at Scouting Combine
Styles, the son of Super Bowl champion linebacker Lorenzo Styles, turned in a performance for the ages at the NFL scouting combine in February.
After checking in at 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Styles broad-jumped 11-foot, 2 inches, registered a 43.5-inch vertical leap, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds — numbers that propelled him into becoming a Top 10 pick.
“To put Styles’ vertical jump into context, it was better than Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who at 6-5, 239 pounds, had a 42½-inch vertical jump at the 2007 combine,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote. “Styles’ jump was also better than current Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, whose 43-inch jump was the best at the 2025 combine.”
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