I’ve never really bought into the idea that pro athletes need extra motivation because a couple of teams passed on them, but if I were to make an exception, it might be the New York Giants having to deal with Sonny Styles twice a year in the NFC East.
With all the pre-draft connecting of the dots between Styles and Big Blue, it was practically inconceivable that they’d come away with a 2026 Draft class that wasn’t headlined by the 6-foot-5, 243-pound linebacker.
But then draft night came and went, and after being passed on for his former Ohio State teammate, Arvell Reese, at No. 5, Styles was instantly picked up by the Washington Commanders at No. 7 to become the new face and leader of Dan Quinn's defense. And if I'm looking at who the biggest problem for the Giants is going to be from Washington's draft class, it's Styles, and it's not even close.
Giants now have a Sonny Styles problem thanks to the Commanders
The Commies didn't have a ton of draft picks, but what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality. Styles was the headliner, but they found great value in the later rounds of the draft, which will make it an interesting arm's race out of the bottom of the division.
Former Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams and Penn State running back Kaytron Allen each made me do a double-take and gave me pause, but neither screams “nightmare” to me the way their new green-dot defensive demon does. They can be gameplanned for.
Styles can't.
He shows up everywhere. And that’s the problem. He’s a 99th percentile athlete with a college resume that points to multiple future All-Pro seasons. Don’t be surprised if he’s the Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner, especially with off-ball linebacker Carson Schwesinger earning the title last year with the Browns.
Styles’ impossibly rare blend of size and speed makes him a nightmare to scheme against because he’s effective against both the run and the pass. He’s going to make life incredibly difficult for the Giants’ offense. There’s no size mismatch or athletic mismatch to take advantage of, which puts the tight end and running back rooms under a lot of pressure when the G-Men play Washington.
The 21-year-old has been routinely compared to All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, and if he’s even remotely close to that level, the Commanders got someone special. And for the record, the last time their defense was even moderately respectable, Jayden Daniels took them to the NFC Championship game, so yeah, adding someone like Sonny Styles is only going to make things tougher on the Giants.
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