The Cleveland Browns surprised a lot of people when they selected linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the first pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Many were expecting them to use it on a quarterback, perhaps Shedeur Sanders, before Cleveland eventually took him in the fifth round.
Since then, Schwesinger has quieted all the doubters and made his presence felt as a potential future star.
In 10 games, he has 85 combined tackles, two interceptions, two passes defended and 1.5 sacks. His presence has helped make this defense one of the best in the league once again, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz recently gave a big compliment to Schwesinger, comparing him to a legendary Hall of Fame talent he used to coach.
“I was with Ray Lewis his first few years in the NFL.The command that Carson has now, in a lot of respects, took Ray until his third year in the league,” Schwartz said.
comparing Carson to a Hall-of-Fame talent? we'd call that a pretty big compliment pic.twitter.com/Xvz885oF7J
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 20, 2025
Schwesinger Poised For Defensive Rookie Of The Year
Schwartz didn’t say Schwesinger is the next Ray Lewis, but he expressed admiration for how quickly the 22-year-old has become comfortable with the intricacies that come with playing such a complicated position. It isn’t as highly regarded as it was during Lewis’ era, but a game-changing talent like Schwesinger is something every team could benefit from.
He’s showing that he is much more than a guy who racked up tackles while his defense got carved up at UCLA. He is far from a pile-jumper and is actively impacting games in new ways every week.
He is a leading candidate to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, and it has been clear from the minute he joined the organization that he was going to be a weapon. It’s hard to believe he still has so much more room to grow.
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