Ohio State’s Sonny Styles’ college career took a turn before the 2024 season, when he moved from safety to linebacker. Over the last two seasons, he emerged as the leader of a Buckeye defense that was consistently ranked No. 1. Now, looking to take his talents to the pros, Styles may become the perfect fit to fill the potential void left by a two-time Super Bowl-winning leader. 

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, in his second 2026 NFL mock draft, is projecting Sonny Styles as the 15th overall pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He believes Styles is the ideal replacement for the Bucs’ LB Lavonte David, who’s been mulling retirement this offseason.

“I have Styles rated much higher than 15th in my prospect rankings, but not all teams value off-ball linebackers the same way. Styles can plug the hole if Lavonte David does not return,” Jeremiah wrote in his analysis.

Multiple reports indicate that David could retire this offseason. While nothing has yet been made official, it’s difficult to imagine that he’d return for his 15th season at the age of 36. He even addressed the retirement buzz earlier in the offseason.

“Ultimately, they leave it in my hands,” David said on an episode of Up & Adams. “It’s up to me and what I want to do… If Bowles didn’t come back, there’d be no shot, to be honest with you. It’s Bucs or nowhere else. I played my 14-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they’ve been real; they’ve been loyal to me. The fans have been really loyal to my family and me. I’ve grown to love the city; being somewhere else just wouldn’t feel right.”

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In the eventuality that David retires, Styles can be the ideal fit. The former has built a long NFL career on his top-notch coverage skills and elite tackling. That’s what Styles’ game is all about. During the 2025 season, he missed one tackle on nearly 700 defensive snaps.

Moreover, just like David, Sonny Styles was a versatile defensive weapon for both Jim Knowles and Matt Patricia. They utilized him in run defense, blitzing, and man-to-man coverage against tight ends.

The only issue for the Bucs is that they may have to trade up if they see the Ohio State linebacker as a “must-have” player. The Cowboys are picking at No. 12, and they could potentially take a shot at Sonny Styles, given that they released Logan Wilson this month. And it’s not just Daniel Jeremiah who is making a Styles-to-Bucs case.

Joel Klatt also predicts Sonny Styles to the Bucs

FOX analyst Joel Klatt believes that Sonny Styles is the best MLB in this year’s draft, praising his versatility in making the switch from safety to linebacker. He also listed him as the No. 15 pick for the Buccaneers, naming him the second-best LB after Arvell Reese.

“Lavonte David is 36 and a free agent. So, the Buccaneers are probably looking at replacing this offseason or sometime soon,” Joel Klatt said on his mock NFL Draft list. “Styles is the best inside linebacker in the draft, showing he can do it all at Ohio State this past season. He actually started his college career at safety, but they moved him to linebacker because of his massive 6-foot-5 frame. He’s also got three years of starting experience, and he’s still just 21 years old.”

We must also remember that this will be a strong linebacker class. If Tampa misses out on Styles, there are other options, such as Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez