Browns LB Carson Schwesinger already near top of NFL, compared to Hall of Famer

Feb 5, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Carson Schwesinger on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns roster is full of a lot of young, exciting players for the future. The 2025 NFL draft class saw a number of players produce as rookies, including LB Carson Schwesinger winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, DT Mason Graham being a force in the middle of the defense, and TE Harold Fannin Jr. and RB Quinshon Judkins being the foundation for the offense's future.

Schwesinger was somewhat of a surprise pick for the Browns given his position and relative unknown status as a prospect. From a walk-on at UCLA to first-team All-American to DROY and making the NFL's Top 100 list as a rookie, Schwesinger has had an interesting career so far.

According to ESPN's survey of coaches, scouts, and executives, not only is Schwesinger the third best off-ball linebacker in the NFL, but he draws comparisons to a recently elected Hall of Famer:

He's [Luke] Kuechly reincarnated," a personnel executive with an NFL team said. Elite speed, athleticism, instincts, ball skills."

As a rookie, Schwesinger not only popped on film but had a well-rounded box score to back it up:

In 2025, Schwesinger was one of three players with at least two sacks, two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss. The others were pass rushers - Pittsburgh'sT.J. Wattand Indianapolis'Laiatu Latu. He was the first rookie to reach that mark sinceShaquille Leonarddid it in 2018.

Schwesinger finished his rookie campaign with 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, 156 total tackles (11 for loss), a body of work that earned him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Some scouts and coaches want to see him do it again before placing him in the top two, though.

Of note, the two linebackers rated above Schwesinger (Fred Warner, Roquan Smith) are both 29 years old, with Warner having missed most of last season and Smith having what many believe is a down year. If Schwesinger follows up his rookie campaign with another great season, Cleveland might have the top-ranked linebacker in the NFL at this time next year.

What do you think about Schwesinger's ranking and the comparison to Luke Kuechly?

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