-
Jeff Legwold
Multiple Authors
INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who is anticipated to be a top-10 pick in this year’s NFL draft, delivered one of the most impressive vertical jumps for his position in over 20 years on Thursday night at the NFL combine held in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Styles achieved a vertical jump of 43½ inches, marking the highest jump by an off-ball linebacker at the combine since 2003, surpassed only by Cameron Wake’s 45½-inch jump in 2005.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 244 pounds, Styles, who is ranked No. 7 on ESPN insider Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, also clocked a time of 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash, complemented by an 11-foot-2-inch broad jump and an impressive performance in position drills. His fellow Buckeyes teammate Arvell Reese, ranked No. 3 on Kiper’s big board, also recorded a 4.46 in the 40, making them the fastest among all participants that night.
To give context to Styles’ vertical jump, he surpassed Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s 42½-inch jump recorded at the 2007 combine, and even outperformed current Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, who achieved a 43-inch jump at the 2025 combine.
Styles also had the best broad jump among all participants on Thursday, being the only player from the defensive linemen and linebackers to exceed 11 feet.
Reese chose not to participate in the jump events but took part in position drills.
Having played primarily as a middle linebacker for Ohio State this past season, Styles expressed earlier this week his eagerness to showcase his abilities to the league’s evaluators on the field.
“I would say that great defenses typically have two or three players who can assume multiple roles,” Styles mentioned. “For instance, this year for the Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori was a versatile player, and having such players on your defense allows a coordinator to implement various strategies.”
