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Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles topped a list from NFL.com ranking the league's rookies in the best situations to experience success.
The 2026 NFL Draft class might not be the deepest group. But there’s still a lot of prospects to like, including from the top of the board in the first round. Some of those prospects, such as linebacker Sonny Styles, landed in great situations.
Styles might even have the best situation with the Washington Commanders. That’s what NFL.com’s Tom Blair argued on May 5.
Blair ranked Styles at No. 1 on a list of rookies “in position to succeed in Year 1 and beyond.”
“We already know Styles has the kind of athletic profile that gets folks googly-eyed,” wrote Blair. “Now picture him using his superpowers to flow to the ball as the dynamic young centerpiece of Quinn’s fortified defense.
“When Quinn says he ‘can’t wait to coach’ Styles, it might sound like boilerplate offseason hype, but in Quinn’s case, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually counting how many sleeps are left before he gets to work his prized new pupil into a defense that finished 31st in EPA per play last season, per Next Gen Stats.”
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb