With the 2026 NFL Draft less than a month away, it’s a good time to look back on what the Cleveland Browns were able to accomplish with last year’s class. They added foundational pieces on both sides of the ball, setting the stage for a potential successful rebuild and franchise turnaround.
Mason Graham at defensive tackle, Quinshon Judkins at running back, and Harold Fannin Jr. at tight end all showed Pro Bowl potential in their first NFL season. However, nobody had as much of an impact as linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
After he was the first pick of the second round, No. 33 overall, the UCLA product went on to become the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was also threatening the rookie record for tackles before a leg injury kept him out of the season finale.
Heading into his second season, Schwesinger is already being named among the best at his position, alongside potential Pro Football Hall of Famers Roquan Smith and Fred Warner.
“Despite the diminished role of the running game, defensive coordinators continue to prioritize high-IQ ‘MIKE’ backers as essential parts of the defensive puzzle. With the middle linebacker expected to serve as the traffic cop and enforcer between the hashes, the job requires an athletic playmaker with hit, run and cover skills between the tackles. Three of the best: Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens; Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers; Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns,” Bucky Brooks wrote.
That is some lofty company when you consider that Smith has been named an All-Pro three times since being traded to the Ravens by the Chicago Bears during the 2022 season. Warner, who has played his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers, is a four-time All-Pro who was honored for three seasons in a row before getting injured last year. They have set the standard at inside linebacker for almost a decade.
Schwesinger showed he can be their heir apparent with a phenomenal rookie campaign. In 2025, he statistically outperformed Smith by making 156 combined tackles, compared to his AFC North rival’s 130 combined tackles. Schwesinger fell just 18 tackles short of matching the rookie record of 174 set by linebacker Patrick Willis for the 49ers in 2007.
It will be interesting to see if Schwesinger will be used in the same manner under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg this season as he was by Jim Schwartz last year, but he certainly has shown the talent to thrive in any system.
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