The Cleveland Browns knew they needed to bolster their linebackers corps this offseason.
They did so by taking UCLA star Carson Schwesinger early in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he’s drawn plenty of attention so far.
However, he’s not the only rookie linebacker turning heads in Northeast Ohio right now.
As Lauren Gray of PFF pointed out, USC’s Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is also making a strong case for himself as he has had a strong performance in the preseason.
“Mascarenas-Arnold earned the third-best PFF run-defense grade among all linebackers this weekend (88.8), recording two stops and an assist on 15 run-defense snaps. He also limited receivers to two catches for eight yards across three targets into his coverage,” Gray wrote. “The undrafted USC product owns an 80.9 PFF overall grade through the first two weeks of the preseason (fifth among rookie linebackers). He leads all rookie linebackers in PFF run-defense grade (83.5), with three stops and two assists on 22 run-defense snaps. He also ranks in the top 10 among rookies in PFF tackling grade (82.5) and PFF coverage grade (72.6).”
The Browns signed Mascarenas-Arnold as an undrafted free agent out of USC.
He also played at Oregon State.
While not the flashiest player by any means, he’s a never-ending source of energy who won’t give up on any play.
More than that, he has better ball skills and hands than the average player at his position, even picking off five passes in his final year in college.
The Browns won’t have star LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the field this season as he continues to recover from a gruesome neck injury, and he may never be able to suit up again.
And with Jordan Hicks also announcing his retirement shortly before the start of the preseason, the Browns have yet another opening at linebacker.
Undrafted free agents always face a steep challenge to make the 53-man roster, but just like Gray pointed out, Mascarenas-Arnold has looked like a sure-fire NFL player through two weeks of the preseason.
And if he fails to make the final cut, which is a big if, he’s the type of player a team would want to keep around on the practice squad.
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