Nick Emmanwori walked at the NFL Combine so Sonny Styles could run

· Yahoo Sports

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is to his position what Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori is to his.

Before we cover the top players the Seattle Seahawks might take in the 2026 NFL Draft, let’s talk about one that can continue to push modern defense into the futuristic mold Mike Macdonald changed the NFL with- who will certainly be going far too high for the Super Bowl LX Champions to have any chance at.

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Styles is setting the NFL Scouting Combine on fire today. He just recorded the best vertical jump ever for a linebacker at 43.5” inches and the 4th-best broad jump ever at 11’2”. Watch the all-time explosiveness right here:

If you’ve followed our coverage of Emmanwori over the past season, you might know that we constantly reference his combine testing numbers. He announced himself to the world one year ago at this event with the best measurables ever seen by a safety since testing began in 1987. The Seahawks traded up to draft him and he was a game changer for their defense, allowing them to defend both the pass and run in ways other teams simply couldn’t. He has as bright a future as arguably any defensive player in the league right now. The only reason he fell to the 35th pick was because of the idea that “he doesn’t play a premium position”.

Styles can reinvent linebacker in the same way. He won’t fall in this draft, where he’s a consensus top 3-5 player, despite the same ideas about positional value. Whoever drafts him will also know that he’s more than just a linebacker. He played safety for his first two-years of college in 2022 and 2023, and was only moved to linebacker right before the 2024 season. To have started his career as a safety with this frame, though, is downright scary.

When Styles’ full testing numbers come out later tonight, don’t be surprised if people start calling him the best player in the draft. Since I started writing this article, the Emmanwori comps are already flowing in. The linebackers are running the 40-yard dash now, and if Styles does as well as he’s projected, the hype will continue to flood the discourse even more.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: NFL Combine: Sonny Styles is the Nick Emmanwori of linebackers

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