There is a lot of pressure on the Cleveland Browns’ draft class to serve as a harbinger for better days and help speed up the rebuilding process.
The rookies are showing encouraging signs in training camp, with one doing a particularly outstanding job and drawing rave reviews thus far.
Cleveland raised a few eyebrows when it selected linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he has looked every bit like a game-changing talent thus far, according to Lance Reisland of Cleveland.com.
“The linebacker group is flying around and anchoring the middle of the defense. Carson Schwesinger has emerged as a tone-setter with his a high-IQ and his key-read-and-trigger mechanics,” Reisland wrote. “He consistently diagnoses run schemes (split zone, inside zone, guard/h-back counter) and beats blockers to the spot with a square pad level and strike leverage. His ability to stay clean in traffic and finish with chest-up tackling technique makes him a reliable box defender and a true tackling machine. Schwesinger’s football instincts are elite and he is rarely out of phase, and constantly finds the ball on both run and pass.”
The Browns went into last season hoping to lean on their defense, just like they did the previous season, when they had arguably the best defense in the NFL, but the entire team took a step back and is in clear need of new playmakers to emerge.
No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham should be an impact player right away at defensive tackle, but Schwesinger has the ability to ease the loss of injured Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Schwesinger emerged at UCLA last season and proved to have legitimate playmaking ability, and if he can generate sacks and turnovers as an NFL rookie, he could provide a major boost to a defense that had very little to hang its hat on outside of Myles Garrett last season.
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