The Cleveland Browns’ 2025 NFL Draft has been regarded as one of the best in the league. It’s early, but the returns they saw in Year 1 from many of their draftees are encouraging. If they’re lucky, many of these athletes can be a part of the team’s nucleus for the foreseeable future.
One of those athletes is Carson Schwesinger, whom they took with the first pick of the second round. Schwesinger had a massive rookie year, one that netted him Defensive Rookie of the Year. After seeing this success from an off-ball linebacker, insider Tony Pauline noted that teams will pay a lot more attention to this position moving forward.
“You know, Carson Schwesinger’s a true off-ball linebacker, and off-ball linebackers are not seen as a priority on draft day, especially in the first round… I think that more teams will be prone to taking good off-ball linebackers earlier than they have in the past,” Pauline said.
"He was good the entire year"🗣️@TonyPauline believes Carson Schwesinger's DROY win may not have saved the #Browns' season, but it can affect many teams' #NFLDraft2026 plan…
..as well as some draft prospects' future. 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZltLs3rba9
— EssentiallySports (@ES_sportsnews) February 11, 2026
Whether multiple off-ball linebackers will move into the first round in 2026 remains to be seen, but Pauline brings up an intriguing point, if nothing else. Teams have been so focused on edge rushers and defensive backs in recent seasons that they’ve let this position fall to the wayside, allowing teams like the Browns to get an amazing player in the second round.
The 2026 NFL Draft isn’t slated to be deep at that many positions; rather, the positional depth is spread out, allowing many teams with pressing needs to find what they’re looking for in the first and second rounds. For instance, after Fernando Mendoza, there’s said to be a steep drop-off at the quarterback position.
In the past few years, teams have emphasized QB, given how loaded the classes have been, but that’s not the case this season. Wide receivers have also been a hot commodity in recent drafts, and while this year’s class has plenty of intriguing options, there should still be room for teams to find some great defenders at historically unorthodox positions.
Schwesinger, Myles Garrett, and Mason Graham, to name a few, look to be the defensive core of this Browns team over the next few seasons. It will be interesting to see how they tackle this year’s draft with that in mind, and what their strategy of offensive vs defensive players will be.
NEXT: Browns Named Worst Landing Spot For Top QB Prospect
