# Kent Swanson: Discussing a hypothetical pool of prospects at pick nine, Swanson said he'd take Ohio State's Sonny Styles and believes Styles could become one of the two best linebackers in the NFL within a year or two.

**Claimed:** Mar 27, 2026
**Pundit:** Kent Swanson — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/kent-swanson
**Outlet:** KC Sports Network (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/kc-sports-network-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://pdrl.fm/8d7cde/mgln.ai/e/256/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/bluewire.simplecastaudio.com/8bf45406-115f-47da-8dc8-dcc5713f4a83/episodes/9aa2f2d0-5e12-4c50-a22e-8f936b4a98bd/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=8bf45406-115f-47da-8dc8-dcc5713f4a83&awEpisodeId=9aa2f2d0-5e12-4c50-a22e-8f936b4a98bd&feed=BJf5DYgc

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

> I think there's a chance that Sonny Styles is one of the two best linebackers in football in a matter of a year or two.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Sonny Styles to finish top 2 at his position, by sacks**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Sonny Styles
  - Verdict: too vague to check

## Who this take is about

- Sonny Styles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/sonny-styles

## What others said about the same people

- David Harrison on Sonny Styles: Harrison gives his initial 53-man roster projection for the Washington Commanders: three quarterbacks including Ethan Kalyak Manus, three running backs, four tight ends, six receivers (leaving off De'Ami Brown and Jaden Bradley), nine offensive linemen with Matt Goldman at center, and a defense of six linebackers but only four cornerbacks. He also projects Tunstall and Newton going to IR on Monday with De'Ami Brown and Dietrich Wise re-signed, plus a corner-heavy practice squad. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1d5b2565-5531-47ac-bff8-ccb9b23a980a (scored 100)
- David Harrison on Sonny Styles: Harrison projects the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster if it had to be set today, naming 26 offensive players, three specialists and 24 defenders, and also assigns depth-chart slots at quarterback, running back, the offensive line, the interior defensive line, and the return/specialist jobs. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2e2254ee-daf7-4f82-81d4-2bc73e1b7291 (scored 100)
- Philip Hughes on Sonny Styles: Hughes projects Washington's initial 53-man roster ahead of the final preseason game, naming every player he expects to make the team by position group, and slots Athan Kaliakmanis as the No. 3 quarterback behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4ec7adba-dd12-4caf-9bb1-f1a343cee65a (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Sonny Styles: Brockman argued four Ohio State players will be taken in the top 10, that Fernando Mendoza will be the first QB off the board and top Tom Brady's 2001 statistical line as a rookie, that Jeremiah Love will beat Ashton Jeanty's rookie production, that tight ends Kenyan Sadiq and Eli Stowers both go top 20, that Ty Simpson is the second QB drafted in round one and starts Week 1, that Jimmy Garoppolo gets the Cardinals over .500, and that Mike Evans leaves Tampa for a contender and goes further in the playoffs than the Bucs. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ad44d0b1-a5f6-47ca-bf2b-8b737241966d (scored 100)
- Rich Eisen on Sonny Styles: Eisen endorsed four Ohio State players going in the top 10 (with Arvel Reese no lower than seventh), listed Mendoza, Jeremiah Love, Miami's left tackle, Penn State's interior guard and Bailey as top-10 picks, said Love won't get out of the top five, and agreed Mendoza's rookie numbers would beat Brady's 2001 line and that Mike Evans will leave Tampa to chase a ring. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d54552b5-50a7-48e0-b0dd-3cf296d356b7 (scored 100)
- Dylan Sanders on Sonny Styles: Hosting a live 2026 first-round reaction show, Sanders said Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Raiders was the heavily expected outcome, and before the Commanders' pick was announced he insisted it had to be Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 7. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2ea0ab0e-d5a6-47d8-940f-45274b992ba9 (scored 100)

## More positional finishes

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9d1e15ad-f96d-457c-ad9f-25882182e28b (scored 100)
- Chris Brockman on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c47d130c-5598-4cd0-b546-1121046b9166 (scored 100)
- Ryan Tracy on Bryan Cook: Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; he names Brian Robinson as his target, expects Kenneth Walker III to re-sign with Seattle, thinks Nick Bolton-style veterans like Jerry Tillery, Derek Nnadi and Mike Pennel shouldn't return, believes Bryan Cook is a top-10 safety the Chiefs can't afford, and predicts a quarterback (Trinidad Chambliss) will rocket up boards so more than one QB goes in the top 10. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/18bb787c-4f93-4c95-b8c2-02daeeffe823 (scored 0)
- Pat Gustavson on Bijan Robinson: Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out his own coaching landing spots. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/06884586-5b21-40c8-9439-e303a3e8a806 (scored 75)
- JP Acosta on Bijan Robinson: JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75)
- Rich Eisen on George Pickens: Eisen called the Rams-winning-it-all take an overreaction but expects Los Angeles to win the NFC West, said he doesn't see how Myles Garrett fails to win Defensive Player of the Year, and called George Pickens perhaps the third-best receiver in the NFL this season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2b6828d6-b24c-4c65-ac95-56bf45c4ebf7 (scored 100)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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