Commanders select Ohio State LB Sonny Styles with the 7th pick in the NFL draft

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Sonny Styles told family members hours before the NFL draft he thought he’d be going to the Washington Commanders.

“I just had this feeling,” Styles said.

On Thursday night, they made it a reality, taking the Ohio State linebacker with the seventh pick. Styles is a welcome addition to Washington’s defense, which ranked last in the league last season.

Commanders general manager Adam Peters said he initially didn’t think Styles would be available where they picked but did not hesitate when the linebacker was still on the board.

“He’s the type of person who will reach whatever potential he has,” Peters said. “He’s humble, he’s driven, he checks every box, so that made it an easy pick."

Styles played 55 games and made 41 starts over his four years with the Buckeyes. He was a co-captain as a senior in 2025 and led the team with 82 tackles and 46 solo tackles. The 21-year-old earned first-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors.

In Styles, Washington adds one of the most athletic players in the draft. At 6-foot-5 and 244 lbs., Styles ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and had a 43 1/2-inch vertical jump at the combine.

“He’s an elite athlete, elite size, elite length,” Peters said. “He’s just scratching the surface as a linebacker. He’s already really good and he’s only going to get better.”

Styles began his career in Columbus as a safety before switching to linebacker in the spring of 2024. In his first year playing the position full time, he started all 16 games for Ohio State en route to a national championship. Styles finished the year with 100 total tackles, 10 1/2 tackles for loss and six sacks.

Moving closer to the line of scrimmage was initially an adjustment for him, but the new position allowed him to unlock more of his potential.

“At safety, you are 10 yards away from the ball,” Styles said. “Things are happening a little slower; you have more time and space to make things happen. Now you’re moving to 5 yards; now things are happening faster. You have to get off blocks, make tackles, offensive linemen are climbing to you. That was an adjustment, really, just being closer to the ball. Things are happening faster.”

Styles's elite athleticism helped his transition to linebacker; he played all three positions over his final two years in Columbus. His versatility is something the Commanders coveted.

“Sonny is a guy who can play off the ball, he can play on the ball, he can mug up and blitz,” Peters said. "There are so many different things he can do. ... He’s got the size to play on the edge. He’s really versatile. We can kind of mix and match how we deploy those guys and play as many linebackers as we can on the field.”

Styles joins linebackers Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal, creating a trio of versatile linebackers the Commanders are excited to deploy.

“That room, we feel great about it," Peters said. “We felt good about it going in, but we feel great about it (now). I love the guys in that room already. They are competitive guys. They’re all really athletic. They’re all guys you want to have on your team. Adding more competition — the theme of our program is competition — I know those guys will all fight and create roles for themselves.”

Peters was also impressed by Styles' game-to-game improvement throughout last season, specifically emphasizing his 12-tackle performance against Indiana in the Big Ten title game.

“He played his best ball at the end of the year,” Peters said. “He’s still ascending. It’s fun to watch his progression and just seeing how much better he got and how much better he still can get.”

The Commanders don't have another pick until the third round after trading their second-rounder to Houston last March as part of the trade to get standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

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Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, center right, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles celebrates with fans after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles pauses while putting on a hat after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles poses on the red carpet before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles poses after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Whether it's cycling through coaches or quarterbacks — or both — the Raiders have been searching for stability in their efforts to return to their championship days.

Las Vegas hopes Thursday night was a major step in the right direction.

In taking Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall selection in the NFL draft, the Raiders might have finally found their franchise quarterback.

The Raiders will count on Mendoza to help turn around an organization that owns three Lombardi Trophies but hasn't won a playoff game since appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. But the Raiders have made it clear they won't rush Mendoza, and in fact signed veteran Kirk Cousins, who likely will be the starting quarterback entering the season.

There will be enough pressure on Mendoza and the Raiders to validate using the top pick on a player who wasn't prominently on most teams' radar a year ago, even though Las Vegas' selection has been telegraphed for several months.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation whether I was going to end up here,” Mendoza said. "Nothing was ever for certain, except for tonight. So when I saw that call, I got a whole lot of chills on my entire body and I was ecstatic. There’s a lot of emotion even right now. However, I understand this is not the end of the journey, although this is a celebration, this is a start of a new thing.”

Mendoza, who stunningly led Indiana to its first national championship, did not attend the draft in Pittsburgh, opting to watch with family and friends in the Miami area. His mother, Elsa, has multiple sclerosis, which makes traveling difficult, and the family will fly to Las Vegas on Friday when Mendoza will be formally introduced during a news conference.

“I chose the Raiders over Pittsburgh because I wanted my mom to be there,” Mendoza said. “It’d be hard for her to take two trips like that, really back-to-back.”

This will be Mendoza's second trip to Las Vegas this month. He took an official visit to the Raiders' facility on April 7, giving general manager John Spytek a chance to get to know the person.

“It’s about his team,” Spytek said. “It’s about winning. It's about doing the right thing, being accountable to the whole organization. It’s very little to do with all the accolades he got after they won all those games. He’s really smart. He works really hard. This means a lot to him.

"I don’t think that being the first-overall pick and winning the Heisman and all the things that he’s got will change him. I think that it’ll actually make him work harder to prove that he’s worth all that and then earn even more.”

He is the fourth player in the common draft era that began in 1967 to win the Heisman and national championship and go No. 1 in the following draft. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in 2020 was the most recent one.

Mendoza also is the fifth Heisman winner to be drafted by the Raiders. Cornerback Charles Woodson in 1998 was the most recent.

“Welcome to Las Vegas @fernandomendoza,” Raiders minority owner Tom Brady posted on social media. “Time to get to work.”

The Raiders' last No. 1 overall pick is remembered as one of the major busts in NFL draft history. LSU's JaMarcus Russell went first overall in 2007, lasting just three seasons while going 7-18.

Was Mendoza, a capable quarterback during his two years as the starter at Cal, a one-year wonder at Indiana and beneficiary of a QB-friendly system? Or did coach Curt Cignetti unlock something in Mendoza that will translate to the NFL? The truth also could be somewhere in the middle.

“I believe I’m still the underdog,” Mendoza said. "Once I got drafted, I’m now part of the NFL, and I can tell you right now I am not one out of 32 (starting) quarterbacks at this moment. So I need to work every single day possible because I’m on the bottom of the totem pole.”

The Raiders have something new — hope. Klint Kubiak is the fifth full-time head coach since the club moved to Las Vegas in 2020, and it's been a similar revolving door with quarterbacks.

But the Raiders also hadn't built up the rest of the roster to give whichever quarterback was taking snaps a fair chance to succeed.

That appears to be changing.

Spytek took advantage of having enough salary-cap space by committing nearly $300 million to eight players, including three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and wide receiver Jalen Nailor.

The Raiders also bring back tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty and left tackle Kolton Miller to give Cousins and Mendoza help.

But Mendoza has to do his part, too. The Raiders entered the opening night of the draft on the clock. Now it's the quarterback who quickly faces a ticking clock.

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FILE - Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds the trophy after Indiana defeated Miami in a College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Jan. 19, 2026, (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is shown on a screen after being chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is shown on a screen after being chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Las Vegas Raiders fans celebrate after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders with the first overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)