Adam Peters wore an ear-to-ear grin as he walked to the podium to address the media following the Washington Commanders' first-round selection.

And who could blame the third-year general manager? He set out with the goal of giving the roster younger, more athletic talent, and by most accounts, he had just supplied his coaches with one of the crown jewels of this year's class.

"We didn't think he was going to be there," Peters said. "We thought there was a low chance, but it was an easy pick when he was there and we were on the clock."

The Commanders ended up taking Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick, and there's a lot of belief in the building that he is the blue-chip impact player they have coveted for a while. Peters said he can't say how many reasons why the Commanders liked him -- probably because there are too many to count. He was the best linebacker in the class despite playing the position for only two years. He set records at the combine with his rare athleticism, and he was an "outstanding person" in interviews and team visits.

So, why did the Commanders take Sonny Styles over some of the players available to them? "He's a Commanders through and through," Peters said, and he checks every box for what they need.

"He's just scratching the surface as a linebacker, and he is already really good," Peters said. "And he is only going to get better."

Perhaps the reason why the Commanders didn't expect Styles to be available is because they thought at least one of the six teams in front of them would see what they saw in him. At 6-feet-5 and 244 pounds, both of which were considered "elite" on his Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Styles possess esrare athleticism for any position, let alone a linebacker. His total RAS of 9.99 ranks fourth among 3,480 linebackers graded going back to 1987, but he would have gotten a 9.66 as a cornerback; a 9.82 as a free safety; a 9.96 as a strong safety; and a 9.79 as a receiver.

Athleticism isn't everything, of course; there have been several "combine stars" who flamed out in the NFL. However, it does provide more confidence that Styles will fit well into a defense that asks its players to be versatile. Ohio State had the same thoughts about Styles, and they used him at every level of their defense. He lined up everywhere from close to the line of scrimmage to the slot and even on the perimeter. He covered tight ends, wide receivers and running backs and posted a career-high coverage grade (87.4) last season.

"He can play on the ball. He can mug up and blitz," Peters said. "There's so many different things he can do. He could play, MIKE, play WILL, play SAM, all those different things. He's got the size to play on the edge. And so, he's really versatile."

And here's the other thing: while Styles is still ascending as a linebacker, there aren't many holes in his game. He didn't miss a single tackle, according to Pro Football Focus, which could be a boon for a Commanders defense that ranked 31st in the category in 2025. He had 183 tackles over the last two seasons with seven sacks as well as eight pass breakups. He plays downhill with intention and is physical when the scenario requires it. Although he wasn't used as often as Arvell Reese in pass rush situations, he generated 10 hurries on 11 of his pressures.

Plus, Styles' athleticism allowed him to play sideline-to-sideline against some of the best offensive players in the league, which Peters said is "a big deal."

"It's fun to watch his progression and just seeing how much better he got and how much better he still can get," Peters said. "So, everything across the board, coaches, scouts, R&D, you got the whole building behind him."

There's another reason why Styles is set to be the newest player to wear the burgundy and gold: his intangibles. He wore the green dot in Ohio State's defense last season and pulled the levers for a defense that was one of the best in college football last year. He wore the "Block O" jersey, which Ohio State gives to players who exemplify leadership, toughness and accountability. He wants to know what the great players do, Peters said, but he's also humble and driven. He also genuinely wants to be great for the Commanders specifically, which matters to the coaching staff.

"You could feel that," Peters said. "A lot of guys try to sell themselves, and rightfully so; it's a job interview, so that's part of it. But he was genuine; he was real; he wasn't trying and was very comfortable in what he said. And so, it makes you really confident that he's going to do everything he can to be great and be great for us."

The Commanders were locked in on Styles from the start, but there was no guarantee that he would make it to them at No. 7. Two things made it a reality, though: the Tennessee Titans took Carnell Tate at No. 4, which Peters viewed as the wide receiver's ceiling, and the Kansas City Chiefs traded up from No. 9 to No. 6 to take cornerback Mansoor Delane. Peters said there were "crickets" from other teams on trading with them, which left taking Styles as the best option.

And based on every perspective in the room, it was the right choice. Peters obviously looked at dozens of players to determine the best path to take at No. 7, and he admitted that "you fall in love with a lot of them because they're all really, really good." But he felt good about Styles throughout the process, and everything he had seen up to that point gave him reason to believe Styles was the player to elevate the defense and overall roster.

"He's really humble and he's very driven. And so those things made us all really confident that he's going to reach his ceiling."