Lorenzo Styles Jr. selected by New Orleans Saints in fifth round of NFL Draft
COLUMBUS — Lorenzo Styles Jr. went from a wide receiver at Notre Dame to a key starter in the Ohio State secondary across his five-year college career.
Now he’s the second member of his family to be selected in this year’s NFL Draft.
Styles Jr. was selected in the fifth round of the draft on Saturday, going No. 172 overall to the New Orleans Saints. He’s the third member of the Ohio State secondary to be selected in this NFL Draft, joining safety Caleb Downs and cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
His brother Sonny was selected in the first round on Thursday night.
He’s the ninth Buckeyes star to be selected in this draft, joining wide receiver Carnell Tate (fourth overall to the Tennessee Titans), linebacker Arvell Reese (fifth overall to the New York Giants), linebacker Sonny Styles (seventh overall to the Washington Commanders), safety Caleb Downs (11th overall to the Dallas Cowboys), defensive tackle Kayden McDonald (36th overall to the Houston Texans), tight end Max Klare (61st overall to the Los Angeles Rams), cornerback Davison Igbinosun (62nd overall to the Miami Dolphins) and tight end Will Kacmarek (87th overall to the Miami Dolphins).
Styles Jr. ran a blazing fast 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine back in February, the fastest ever time for a former Ohio State star. He was the fastest cornerback to run the 40-yard dash, and he was the fastest player to run it at the NFL Scouting Combine for the year. It was the 10th-fastest time in NFL Combine history.
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That all came after an impressive final college football season, when he had 30 combined tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three passes deflected as a starter in one of the best defenses in college football.
So after all of that, Styles is now an NFL Draft selection, going No. 172 overall to the New Orleans Saints to become the second draft pick from his family this spring.
Ohio State players still available in 2026 NFL Draft
+ DT Tywone Malone
+ RB CJ Donaldson
+ OT Ethan Onianwa
+ LB Joey Velazquez
+ K Jayden Fielding
+ LS Colin Johnson
+ LS John Ferlmann