Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles, selected seventh overall in the draft, wore No. 0 during his time at Ohio State. Since cornerback Mike Sainristil already claims that number in Washington, Styles needed a new look.
He explained his choice to switch to No. 52 during a Friday press session.
“I’m not really a big number guy,” Styles said. “Like, I wasn’t really big into single digits. I like zero. Mikey has zero. So then, like, I was telling [linebackers] coach [Ken Norton] like when I look in the room [with] London on the wall, London Fletcher, LaVar [Arrington]. I think it was Ken Harvey and Monte Coleman. It was all like 50 numbers. And I was like, ‘Shoot, I’m gonna pick a 50 number.’ And I was thinking about it. You know, I remember growing up watching like Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis. So like, hey, 52 would be cool. And then my dad was like, ‘Hey, five plus two is seven, so that’s your draft pick.’ So I was like, man, that’s cool. It seems pretty cool.
“So that’s really how I landed on it.”
Given the team’s proximity to Baltimore, Commanders fans are hopeful Styles can mirror the impact Ray Lewis had during his Hall of Fame career with the Ravens.
