The Ohio State football team has plenty of prospects ready to take on the NFL Combine before the draft in a couple of months. Defensively, the Buckeyes have an especially strong crop of players coming out this year. They could have as many as five players on that side of the ball go in the first round.
Linebacker Sonny Styles is expected to be among those drafted in the first round. He has spent the last two seasons at linebacker after he spent the first two with the Ohio State Buckeyes at safety. Under Matt Patricia, he thrived in the role that he was always born to play.
While Styles is likely a shoo-in to be a first-round pick, he wants to go as high as possible. He wants to be a top-15 pick. In order to do that, he needs to put on a show at the Combine. He did just that, putting on a record-setting performance in front of scouts and GMs.
Ohio State LB Sonny Styles puts on legendary Combine performance
Styles' measurements were impressive enough. He measured in at 6'5 and 244 pounds, which is a massive size for a linebacker. Then, he did something that no one else at that size has done. He had the highest vertical jump of any linebacker in the history of the Combine.
Styles had a 43.5-inch vertical, which is crazy. He also added an 11.2-inch broad jump, which is tied for fourth-best among linebackers all-time. If that wasn't impressive enough, the Buckeye linebacker ran a super speed 40-yard dash, coming in at 4.46.
Only Styles' teammate Arvell Reese was the only one who was able to match him when it came to a 40-yard dash from linebackers. Still, the package that Styles put together was quite impressive. With what he was able to do, it would be shocking to see him slip out of the top-15.
This proves the Buckeyes had two freaks at linebacker. It's unfortunate that wasn't enough to bring them another national title.