The Browns have had some poor draft classes in recent years that have certainly set them back. But all indications so far are that the 2025 draft might be their best one in years, and it’s giving the franchise a lot of hope moving forward.
One of the picks that is already turning heads is linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a second-round pick from UCLA. He had another strong performance against Green Bay and is already performing like one of the top linebackers in the league.
Schwesinger is already entering elite territory
Schwesinger had arguably his best game of the season in Week 3, racking up 10 tackles as the Browns held the Packers to just 10 points. He recorded his first career sack and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps. Cleveland’s defense has been excellent through three games, but titsperformance against Green Bay was one of the most dominant performances you’ll see all year.
The play of Schwesinger has a big part to do with that, as he’s provided rock-solid play in the middle of the field. And with his ability to stop the run and make plays in coverage, he is everything you would want in a modern-day linebacker. And that’s why he’s already one of the league’s top linebackers after just three games.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they wrote about the highest-graded rookies in the NFL through three weeks, and Schwesigner made the list. He came in at No. 4 overall, and he is the second-highest graded rookie defender in the NFL. Here is a snippet of what PFF had to say about the rising star at linebacker from Week 3:
"Schwesinger bounced back against Green Bay with his highest PFF run-defense grade of the season (74.9). He played a season-high 30 run snaps, making four stops while assisting on two other tackles. He also recorded a quarterback hurry on eight pass-rushing snaps...He made two third-down stops across 23 snaps and limited receivers to 13 yards on three catches."Lauren Gray, Pro Football Focus
Through three games, Schwesigner is Pro Football Focus’ No. 13-ranked linebacker in the league with an overall grade of 81.6. But he’s actually inside the top-10 of their rankings when you factor in the linebackers who have played at least 150 snaps this season.
With his ability to blitz, cover, and stop the run, it’s only a matter of time before he is one of the NFL’s most valuable linebackers. And based on the growth that we’ve seen just in the last few weeks, it’s not going to take him much longer to get there. Schwesigner is a star in the making, and the Browns hit a home run with both of their second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.