Only a few hours remain before the 2026 NFL draft begins in Pittsburgh, and aside from the 1st overall pick, every other pick is currently uncertain. However, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese is confident of a first-round selection. Not because he has got assurance from an NFL team, but because he trusts Ryan Day’s development and his new OSU identity.

“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always envisioned it,” Arvell Reese said about his chances of a first-round selection. “I think after my sophomore year, I was a little discouraged. I didn’t really like where I was in my career. Then, when I switched to linebacker and started getting a feel for it. I started rekindling that vision…I think without the development we have at Ohio State, these guys wouldn’t be here. It goes in like the coaches we have in the building: Coach Day obviously starts with him and [strength coach] Coach Mick.”

Sonny Styles came to Ohio State as a standout safety, but he had little (9 tackles) production in his true freshman season in 2022. He was still a 5-star athlete out of high school and also had standout numbers in basketball. Because of that dual-sport talent, Styles kept a relatively lean frame at 214 lbs. Returning in the 2023 season, the Buckeyes started him again at the safety position, and he notched 53 tackles. But Styles wasn’t satisfied with his production.

“You see the size,” OSU linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said. “I’m like, ‘Man, if we just put some weight on Sonny, you have a linebacker with elite cover skills.’ The big question was, could he come down and thump? He just always wanted to do footwork, he wanted to study, and he wanted to learn. And he has never stopped.”

Styles’ switch to the linebacker position wasn’t surprising, but it still needed work. Sonny’s father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., was also an Ohio State linebacker who made it to the NFL and won the 1995 Super Bowl with the Rams. With guidance from both his father and OSU’s former All-American LB, James Laurinaitis, he began preparing for the transition in the 2024 offseason. He worked hard in the weight room and studied the tape diligently, and the rest took care of itself.

“We never knew how big he was going to actually get,” Lorenzo Styles Sr. said. “I told him, eventually, you will move closer to the ball. I’m not sure if you don’t put your hand on the line of scrimmage before it’s all said and done. But he was able to navigate that transition…In high school and earlier years, our football conversations would be basic to me, but as he got to Ohio State and understood the scheme and the game more, the conversations matured.”

The adjustment at the linebacker position wasn’t easy. The game moved much faster at the position, and Styles had to develop his mind and feet to keep up. To achieve that, Styles worked relentlessly at OSU’s Woody Hayes Athletic Center and gradually improved his footwork. Styles’ OSU counterpart, Arvell Reese, highlighted the work Styles had put in the weight room to become LB-ready.

Arvell Reese describes Sonny Styles’s work ethic

Sonny Styles was always that ‘do-everything player’ for Ohio State. As a safety, he easily played in the box, defended runs, and even covered tight ends. Gradually, his versatility across multiple roles became a highlight. That was also the time when the Buckeyes needed more speed and range at the LB position to run their 4-2-5 scheme in 2025. Styles filled that role and brought speed (4.4 sec. 40-yard dash) and safety-level movement skills. Finally, with his work in the weight room, it almost became a no-brainer for Day to field him in the box.

“Sonny, the way he prepared for games, the way he would be in the weight room — I feel like Sonny is one of those guys that you could always count on,” Arvell Reese said about Styles. “He got in the room; he was ready to learn, and he was ready to work. It became his spot in a matter of weeks. Sonny does everything right.”

Within no time, Styles’ talent exploded as he totaled 100 tackles along with 6 sacks in the 2024 season. His performance (6 tackles and a sack) against Notre Dame was one of the factors for Ohio State winning the national championship final. But even then, the NFL draft wasn’t the primary thing in his mind. After Ryan Day’s request, he postponed his draft decision and notched 83 tackles and a sack playing the LB position again last year.