{"id":266942,"date":"2026-02-24T16:30:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=266942"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:35:26","slug":"mel-kiper-has-sonny-styles-to-washington-sonny-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/02\/24\/mel-kiper-has-sonny-styles-to-washington-sonny-styles\/","title":{"rendered":"Mel Kiper\u2019s Latest Mock Has Washington Betting Big on Defensive Firepower"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love him or hate him, when it comes to NFL draft season, Mel Kiper Jr<\/a>. is a fixture on screens. Kiper has been making predictions and sparking debates, along with projecting who the future NFL stars will be for the last several decades. Many folks put a lot of stock into Kiper\u2019s predictions, and 2026 will be no different. In his latest mock draft, Kiper has the Washington Commanders<\/a> selecting a defensive weapon that could potentially be the new anchor of their defense. Kiper has the Commanders selecting Sonny Styles<\/a>, a linebacker out of Ohio State, with the number seven pick in the NFL draft. Sonny Styles to Washington could be a match made in heaven.<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the #Commanders<\/a> selecting LB Sonny Styles!<\/p>\n

Player comp: Fred Warner \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

Thoughts? #Raisehail<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/cQJcXwYY1E<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/e0ipV10GuF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Deuce_Redzone (@redzoneinthelab) February 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

How does Sonny Styles fit into Washington’s defensive scheme? If you take a look at Last Word on Sports Draft Profile on Styles by Drew Crabtree<\/a>, you will see why he is a good fit.<\/p>\n

Last Word on Sports: Sonny Styles NFL Draft Profile<\/a><\/p>\n

Run Game and Passing Coverage Threat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the biggest reasons Styles makes sense in Washington is his positional flexibility. Drew Crabtree described Styles as \u201ca safety in a linebacker\u2019s body,\u201d<\/em> emphasizing the rare athletic profile that allows him to be a disruptor on both pass coverage and the run game. In the modern-day NFL, there are more athletic tight ends and receiving backs, so this type of hybrid skill set makes Styles a huge asset to the Commanders.<\/p>\n

Tackling Is Not an Issue<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Missed tackles were a big roadblock in the Commanders’ quest to become a contender in the NFC East last season. According to Crabtree, Styles \u201cdoes not miss tackles, either in traffic or in the open field.\u201d<\/em> Washington needs some consistent tackling at the second level, and Styles has the right skill set to provide that.<\/p>\n

A Rare Physical Specimen<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Crabtree noted that \u201cteams are going to fall in love with his sheer athleticism.\u201d<\/em> When you look at styles, he is a rare physical specimen that stands out among the rest of the pack. Styles has a blend of speed, explosiveness, and overall size that makes him easily a first-round prospect. Washington\u2019s defense needs an able-bodied individual to act as a leader and playmaker. With veteran linebackers and edge rushers like Bobby Wagner and Von Miller likely moving on, the Commanders could use some youthful energy to replace that veteran leadership.<\/p>\n

Wise Beyond His Years?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Usually, it takes some time to identify a player\u2019s football intelligence, especially at the pro level. Crabtree indicated that Styles’ football IQ may earn him the opportunity to become a signal caller early in his NFL career. He stated that Styles \u00a0\u201ccould be trusted to be the green dot as a rookie.\u201d<\/em> Placing that responsibility on a rookie or a young defender entering the league is rare.<\/p>\n

Sonny Styles to Washington: Long-Term Contributor<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lastly, it appears that Styles has some long-term upside. In his bottom line, Crabtree noted that whichever team drafts Styles could be getting a \u201cmulti-year star\u201d with \u201cfuture Pro Bowler written all over him.\u201d Any team drafting inside the top ten is looking for exactly this kind of star power. The Commanders have a very definitive need on defense, and that is a linebacker with consistent tackling that has youth on his side. Sonny Styles may be exactly the right person for the job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mel Kiper projects Sonny Styles to Washington in his latest mock draft. Here is why Sonny Styles to Washington could transform the Commanders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5774,"featured_media":258307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8896,1647,33760],"tags":[34099,33921],"class_list":["post-266942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-commanders","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-mel-kiper","tag-sonny-styles"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266942"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266982,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266942\/revisions\/266982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}