- 10 hours ago
Commanders newest LB, Sonny Styles, joins the show to detail his comfort wearing the green dot and his pre draft process.
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00:00And he joins us now on the Rude guest hotline.
00:02Rude, the most reliable heating and air conditioning products in the DMV.
00:06We are joined by Sonny Stiles.
00:08Sonny, congratulations again on going in the top 10 at number 7 to Washington.
00:13Thanks for joining us on Grant and Danny.
00:15How are you?
00:16I'm going well.
00:17I appreciate it, fellas.
00:19Just excited to be on here and talk to you guys.
00:21I love it, dude.
00:22So let's go into the whole process.
00:24I know you had a visit here and a lot of pleasantries were exchanged,
00:27but it sounds like you had a really good feeling.
00:29Like, Washington would be the location, ultimately, for your pro career.
00:33Yeah, I had a good feeling.
00:35You kind of came in the building, felt like a really good vibe,
00:38and I had a feeling I was going to be back.
00:41I watched the really cool video that was put together of your entire draft day
00:46behind the scenes.
00:47You're sitting in the barber chair.
00:48Your final prediction was the commanders.
00:50It seemed like the interactions we saw with DQ and AP and the folks afterwards,
00:55you guys had a pretty good bond.
00:56And you take us through why it seems like Peters is so popular,
01:00even with the guys before they play here.
01:02With players like you, you're going on a lot of these interviews.
01:05What stands out about him when you get to spend a few minutes with him?
01:08Yeah, I mean, I think, I don't know.
01:11I mean, you can always kind of feel like you're in the room when you're talking to him,
01:16sit down and have a conversation.
01:19You know, I think it's easy when you're in a position like that as a GM to have this
01:23certain persona and a certain way you talk to players.
01:27But I don't think AP is like that at all.
01:29I think he's a great man.
01:31He treats all the guys really well.
01:33So I'm so surprised to hear that a lot of people feel the same.
01:37Sonny, can you go back to in between your sophomore and junior year at Ohio State
01:42with that position switch?
01:44What was the ask?
01:45What was the discussion?
01:47Kind of what went through your mind then about kind of this new challenge,
01:49going to a whole new position?
01:50Ultimately, great ending.
01:51You're the number seven overall pick and a badass, if I can say that editorially.
01:55But you were a safety, then you were a linebacker.
01:57What was that transition like and kind of what was going through your head at the time?
02:01Yeah, going into the spring of my junior year,
02:06just seeing what we had on defense, the guys we had in terms of the different spots
02:13and then where I was personally in my career,
02:16it seemed like playing linebacker was going to be the best thing for the team
02:19and the best thing for me.
02:22At the time, I knew I was going to play linebacker at some point.
02:25I just didn't really know when.
02:27At that moment, I felt like the right thing to do.
02:30I felt like I was going to help the team win.
02:31I felt like it was something I could do, a position I could play really well.
02:34So that's ultimately why I made the decision to do it.
02:37Is it something that came very naturally to you in talking to some people
02:41that were at the facility and were impressed with rookie minicamp,
02:45just how you would read things out and pick things up and turn and run
02:49and the way you kind of evaluated plays at the position seemed like someone's been
02:54doing it a long time.
02:55Did that come naturally or was that kind of earned through work over those couple
02:59seasons at Ohio State?
03:01I think no matter what position you're playing,
03:04no matter how long you're playing, a lot of the game is just an instinct.
03:09But, of course, there was a lot of work that got put in to be able to go out
03:13there comfortably and play.
03:15I'm not the same player I was two years ago,
03:18and that's because of the work that's been put in and the extra hours.
03:22Sonny Stiles with us here on Grant and Danny.
03:25All right, in terms of your role going forward here,
03:27we're all just drooling at the possibilities of someone with your
03:30athletic profile, which they haven't made many people like that, by the way,
03:33Sonny, I'll blow you up here a little bit.
03:35You are a freak athlete.
03:36You're incredible, and that's got so many people so excited.
03:39What do you think kind of early on, and then what do you think maybe down the line
03:43you'll be doing here on this defense?
03:45I'm not really sure.
03:46I think there's a lot of different jobs on the defense, a lot of different roles,
03:51possibilities.
03:52I'm hoping just to find one and do it really well.
03:55Whatever that may be, if it's multiple roles, whatever, I'm happy to do it,
04:00and I'm happy to help the team win.
04:01I think we've got a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball that can do
04:04a multitude of roles at a high level.
04:06So I'm sure Coach DJ is going to find different ways to maximize us all at
04:10these different spots.
04:11At rookie minicamp, did you wear the green dot and have them call and plays into
04:15the helmet and then have to relay them?
04:18Yeah.
04:19Yeah, I had the green dot for rookie minicamp.
04:21And what about at school?
04:22How much of that did you do collegiately?
04:25I wore the green dot my junior and senior year at school.
04:28So it wasn't any different, I'd imagine, although the playbook's different
04:31and some of the verbiage is new.
04:33Maybe that's complicated.
04:34But is that something you'd be comfortable with?
04:36Is that something you'd take pride in or care about one way or the other as a rookie?
04:40Yeah, I'm fully comfortable with doing it.
04:44I'm not sure if I said I'd take pride in it.
04:46If someone wants me to wear the green dot, I feel fully comfortable
04:49coming in the huddle and doing that.
04:51But I know we've got other veteran guys in the room as well,
04:53so I'm sure they could do it as well.
04:57So either or, to me, it doesn't matter.
05:00You know, whenever I'm asked to do it, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability.
05:03Sonny, in your view, where have you improved the most
05:05since your first couple of days of practice at linebacker back in 2024?
05:10Oh, you're saying my first couple of days here?
05:13Where have I improved the most?
05:13No, just in general, just looking back now from your first day at linebacker,
05:16like I wouldn't know where to stand.
05:17And obviously, you've got more football acumen than I do.
05:19But from that moment on, where have you improved the most, do you think?
05:25I'd probably say hand violence in terms of block destruction
05:31and then just run recognition.
05:35Sonny Stiles, the commander's linebacker, is with us on Grant and Danny here on the fan.
05:40Sonny, for someone like you who's so unique in terms of size and speed,
05:44it's hard to find comps.
05:46I would imagine, similarly, it's hard for you to find guys to study
05:50that are a lot like you.
05:52How did you go about that?
05:53Who were some of the guys you patterned your game after?
05:57You know, I think when you're an elite player,
06:01or if you're striving to be an elite player,
06:03you should try and take little things from different players' games.
06:07Maybe not just one guy.
06:09So I like Fred Warner, obviously.
06:12He's probably one of the best in the league right now.
06:14Just the way his sideline to sideline, his ball disruption, all those things.
06:21But then you got guys, like I said, growing up,
06:25watching Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis,
06:30and just that physically imposing figure in the middle of the defense.
06:35And then there's guys like Luke Kuechly.
06:38When I think of Luke Kuechly, he has all the speed, physicality.
06:42But I think what always stood out to me was the football intelligence side of it.
06:46Just seeing how smart he was.
06:48You watch the videos and calling out the plays and all these different things.
06:52So I think those four guys are who I truly admire.
06:57I would say I modeled my game after really anyone.
07:00I think I just try and take bits and pieces of everyone.
07:03And now that I'm in the league,
07:06I probably go around and just watch different guys in the NFL.
07:08Like, look around and see who's the top ten linebacker in the NFL right now
07:11and go watch them and figure out why they're so good.
07:14Sonny Stiles with us here on G&D.
07:16You come from a pretty good program with a pretty good pedigree.
07:18You guys are playing a lot of meaningful football games at a really, really high level.
07:22Even still, though, it's not the NFL, right?
07:24What have you kind of heard about that transition
07:26and some of the challenges that await?
07:28What do you think kind of the biggest hurdles are
07:30for a young star like yourself to overcome?
07:33Oh, you know, obviously the level of talent is going to be higher.
07:38So the game is going to be a little bit faster.
07:40So you've got to just get used to it early on.
07:43And I think just your skills and technique and fundamentals
07:48become a lot more crucial
07:50because the talent gap is so much smaller.
07:54You know, like, when you're in college, you might go play a team
07:57where it's guys.
07:58Like, you're way better than them.
07:59Like, they might never play in the NFL.
08:02And obviously that's okay.
08:03But now you're here in the NFL, we're all NFL players.
08:05We're all really talented.
08:06We're all probably one of the best players,
08:09the best players on our teams in college.
08:12So what's going to separate you?
08:13So I think that comes down to, like, the fundamentals, technique,
08:16all the little details,
08:18the hours you spend studying film.
08:21And, you know, those are things I was already doing,
08:23already trying to focus on.
08:24Now you've got to just keep enhancing that.
08:26It was one of the things pre-draft that we heard a lot about you, Sonny,
08:30was in terms of the film study and the mental stuff.
08:32You were so advanced.
08:34And we've already seen it,
08:35just how you act and conduct yourself
08:37around the last few weeks post-draft.
08:40I give your parents a lot of credit.
08:42Danny was making fun of me for sounding old
08:44because I'm like, his parents must be so proud.
08:46And here I am in my 30s saying that, which is kind of funny.
08:48But tell us about your parents, if you don't mind.
08:50I know your father played in the league,
08:52was a standout linebacker.
08:54I'm not overly familiar with your mom,
08:57but obviously she didn't play in the NFL,
08:58so I don't have that football card to look at.
09:01But what can you tell us about the styleses?
09:03Yeah, my mom, she graduated from Ohio State.
09:06She worked for, like, in the HR department
09:09for the state of Ohio.
09:10She's worked in a few different departments,
09:11but has always been, like, the director of HR.
09:15She's great.
09:16You know, I think she wasn't, like, a big athlete.
09:19She played in junior high and high school,
09:20but didn't play college.
09:22Do you ask her, though, if she's listening to this, too?
09:25I got my athleticism for her,
09:26so don't let anyone tell you anything different.
09:31But, yeah, I think she's instilled, like,
09:33just hard work, giving your all.
09:36The way you treat people, all these different things.
09:38Same with my dad.
09:39You know, obviously my dad played in the NFL,
09:41played at Ohio State, played linebacker.
09:45So I think for him, like, one of the best things he ever did
09:48was growing up, you know, he made us choose the game
09:51and made us decide why we wanted it for ourselves.
09:54I think he didn't force us into playing football or force us into wanting to go
09:58in the NFL.
09:59But once we showed him that's what we wanted, you know, he helped us get there.
10:02He helped us show – he helped show us what it looked like to put in all these
10:05extra hours.
10:06I remember him telling me when I was younger, like, you want to go to college,
10:10you want to go to the NFL?
10:11Like, you can't do what everyone else does.
10:12You can't just go to practice and just do the workouts.
10:15Like, you got to do extra stuff to separate yourself.
10:18So I think there's just both instilled hard work, you know,
10:21doing things the right way, treating people the right way.
10:25And, you know, I think everything else falls from that.
10:27Well, you mentioned athleticism, Sonny.
10:29No short of that for you.
10:31As high as they can measure pretty much is the way you scored.
10:33It's your size, your speed, your quickness, and everything else.
10:36He probably didn't want the combine to end.
10:38Seriously.
10:39Like, if there was another test, you'd ace that, too.
10:40At what point in your development did you kind of go,
10:43I think I might be different than everybody else?
10:45Because, like, there's plenty of good athletes out there that, like,
10:48I could dunk in high school.
10:49Or, like, I ran a sub 10 second 100.
10:51You're like, that's adorable.
10:52Watch this at my size.
10:53Like, when did you figure out, I might be a little bit different here?
10:58Oh, that's a funny question.
10:59I'm not really sure.
11:00You know, I always have my brother, who he's a great athlete.
11:04Always chasing him around.
11:06So that always humbled me.
11:07I never really had a chance to, like, kind of soak in my athleticism,
11:12if that makes sense.
11:14He made sure I was pretty humble.
11:16So I attribute a lot of my athleticism to him
11:18because I was always chasing him around,
11:20trying to be better than him and everything.
11:22And I took a lot of losses growing up.
11:24So that definitely helped my development.
11:26That's always the story, right?
11:28That's good for you.
11:29Yep.
11:29No doubt.
11:31The graphics I'm sure that you've seen out of the combine,
11:33where it's like, you're the size of Calvin Johnson,
11:36you're the speed of B. John Robinson.
11:38It's like this Megatron-built player.
11:40I'm sure you've seen those that we were all passing around.
11:42But did you know going to the combine that you were about to put on a show?
11:46Did you know it was going to be that good?
11:49I was confident in what I was going to do.
11:52You know, I don't think I really had, like, too much of a, I don't know,
11:57big emphasis on it.
11:58I just knew I was like, hey, I'm going to go out here,
11:59and I'm going to do really well.
12:01I was confident in my ability.
12:03You know, I don't think that meant everything to me, though.
12:06I think what was more important to me was, like, the meetings
12:08and just showing these coaches, like, when I was at the combine,
12:11like, hey, I know football.
12:13I'm an intelligent guy.
12:15You know, I spent a lot of time, you know,
12:17devoting that to my craft and my mental IQ.
12:20Speaking of the meetings,
12:21I'd imagine you were at the Topgolf event with the commanders.
12:24Can you swing the clubs a little bit?
12:28Oh, man, I'm not very good at golf.
12:30I started playing, like, a year ago.
12:31That was my first time really swinging a club.
12:34So I'm not very good.
12:35I'm getting better, though.
12:36I can make some contact with the ball,
12:38but I can't leave you too much after that.
12:40That's pretty much it, right?
12:41Yeah.
12:42That's what I got to do.
12:43Do you remember any of the, like,
12:44who was the best player at actual golf?
12:46Or, like, if they made that pick based on golf,
12:49whose name are they calling?
12:50Do you remember?
12:53Probably, probably Caleb Downs.
12:56He's really good.
12:59I feel like there was one of the quarterbacks or something
13:01that looked pretty good.
13:04I forget.
13:05Probably Caleb, though.
13:06Just knowing him personally, he's really good at golf.
13:09Speaking of Caleb Downs, he goes to the Cowboys.
13:11Arvel Reese goes to the Giants.
13:13You're with the commanders.
13:14Three guys, three buddies from that elite defense
13:17under Patricia in one division.
13:19And that's got to add a little fuel to the fire
13:21and some flair for you guys as you compete in the league
13:23all in the East.
13:25Yeah, it's pretty cool.
13:27Three Buckeyes on the same side of the ball,
13:29on the same division.
13:30It's awesome.
13:32But I'm sure we're all just going to work right now,
13:35not even thinking about that.
13:39So we've got Tony Stiles with us,
13:40hanging out for a few more minutes on Grant and Danny.
13:42Let's get to know you a little bit, okay?
13:44So one of the things that I am fascinated by
13:47is that the NBA Combine's going on right now,
13:50not quite as successful, if I can say,
13:51in terms of a televised event as the NFL Combine,
13:53but still it's happening.
13:55A guy that might go 1-1, A.J. DeBossa,
13:57has a 42-inch vertical.
13:59That's less than yours, right?
14:00Weren't you 43 and change in high school?
14:02Do you think if you pursued that,
14:04you could be a professional basketball player?
14:08Oh, man.
14:10Being in the NBA is hard.
14:11I'll say that.
14:12I don't know if I would have been
14:14a professional basketball player.
14:15I didn't really have much of a jumper.
14:17So that wasn't going to work too well
14:19at 6'5 in the NBA.
14:23Favorite sport and team to watch as a fan
14:26outside of football,
14:27when you're just rooting on the couch?
14:37I'm a LeBron guy,
14:39so I'm probably the Lakers.
14:44So here's what I always like to ask.
14:46In terms of weightlifting,
14:48like a space alien comes down
14:50and challenges you to a liftoff
14:51in one exercise.
14:53What are you going to win?
14:54What would you beat him at?
14:55What's your specialty?
15:02I'd probably say like probably squat,
15:06but I'd like change the rules
15:09to where you have to move the bar
15:10like a certain amount of speed.
15:12I feel pretty confident
15:13about moving heavy weights.
15:14Oh, like an explosive squat or something
15:16where you're like a jumping,
15:16like a cat squat,
15:17kind of like that?
15:18Yeah, you don't really jump.
15:19You just like explode on the way up.
15:22Cheat meal.
15:24Nobody's judging you.
15:24You get to be as fat as you want to be.
15:26What are you eating?
15:28Oh, probably Arby's.
15:30I've never gotten that answer.
15:32What is your Arby's go-to order?
15:33Yeah, what's your order?
15:34It's like,
15:35I think it's like,
15:36I think it's like a full pound
15:38roast beef sandwich
15:39or something like that
15:40with the curly fries
15:41and the milkshake.
15:43I haven't had it in a while.
15:45No, of course not.
15:45You're in training.
15:47You could celebrate post-draft
15:48with one of those.
15:48But you go to Arby's,
15:50okay,
15:50and they go,
15:51it's going to be a minute
15:51for the curly fries.
15:52Do you wait?
15:54A minute?
15:55Like, how long?
15:57Two minutes.
15:59Yeah, I'm waiting.
16:00Three.
16:00I'll probably wait like
16:01five, ten minutes.
16:02Yeah, what's the most
16:02you would wait?
16:03Would you wait seven minutes?
16:04Yeah, I'd wait seven minutes.
16:06I'll probably the most
16:0715.
16:07How about this?
16:0814 minutes.
16:11I'm waiting.
16:11Oh, my God.
16:13Okay.
16:13I'm right after my heart.
16:1517 minutes.
16:17I think,
16:1817.
16:19Because you're done
16:19with your sandwich
16:20at that point.
16:21Yeah, I might wait,
16:22though.
16:24Sonny Stiles.
16:24He loves Sonny Stiles.
16:26I'll let you out
16:26on this one.
16:27First off,
16:28I have to say,
16:28our producer,
16:29Darius Stammering,
16:30and myself,
16:30we are big on numbers,
16:32okay?
16:33We're like 100 years old,
16:35but actually in our
16:36young 30s here.
16:37And we hate people
16:39who wear the single-digit numbers
16:43when they're at positions
16:44where they shouldn't.
16:46And when you,
16:47I thought for sure,
16:48because you're young
16:48and you're gen whatever you are,
16:50you're going to do
16:50like some thing
16:51where you're going
16:51to wear single digits,
16:53you went with a 50s number.
16:5552.
16:55And I'm so excited about it.
16:57And your logic
16:58and reason on it
16:59was amazing.
17:00Where you looked
17:00around the room,
17:01you see London Fletcher
17:02and you're name-checking
17:03Redskins greats
17:04like Monty Coleman.
17:05It's the coolest thing ever
17:07that you're doing that.
17:08I absolutely love it.
17:09Are you sticking with 52
17:10or is that just the number
17:11for now until you figure it out
17:13when the numbers
17:14become more available?
17:15No, I'm going to stick with it.
17:17But yeah, I think it fits.
17:19Like I said,
17:20I feel like
17:21all the great linebackers
17:23I think of,
17:23they're all in the 50s
17:24on the Hall of Famers.
17:26So obviously,
17:28that's what I'll be one day.
17:29So I think
17:31just 52 fits.
17:32All right.
17:33So I want to buy
17:33my kid,
17:34my son's five.
17:35I'm going to buy him
17:35a Sonny Stiles jersey.
17:36So if I get him a 52,
17:38you're rocking that for keeps.
17:40Yes, sir.
17:41All right.
17:41Let's go.
17:41Sonny Stiles.
17:42I'm so, Danny,
17:44how good is this?
17:44You're very happy about that.
17:45A number in the 50s.
17:46So, Sonny,
17:47for the record,
17:47I'd love you
17:48no matter what number you wore, dude.
17:49You were zero through 99.
17:50I would love him as well.
17:51But it would just be like,
17:52Sonny,
17:53why'd you do this to me?
17:54But I don't have to do that.
17:55You don't have to.
17:56You don't have to deal with it.
17:56Sonny,
17:57thank you for the time, man.
17:58We really appreciate you.
17:59Appreciate you, bud.
18:00Yes, sir.
18:00Appreciate you guys.
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