Carson Schwesinger could join Micah Parsons, Sauce Gardner on an elite rookie list

We’ve reached the point of Carson Schwesinger’s rookie season where there is no ceiling.

The 22-year-old middle linebacker of the Cleveland Browns has been nothing short of dominant in the center of Jim Schwartz’s defense, and the accolades are already pouring in. Schwesinger was named the AFC’s Defensive Rookie of the Month this week, and has felt like the runaway frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year since September.

Schwesinger’s one of 12 defensive players in the league who have surpassed 100 total tackles through 13 weeks. ESPN already named him this year’s No. 1 overall rookie, and at his current trajectory, he could soon join NFL royalty with a feat that tends to signal a long and fruitful career.

Carson Schwesinger is making a strong case to be named All-Pro as a rookie

At this point, Browns fans should be thinking bigger than the Defensive Rookie of the Year award for Schwesinger.

The buzz around his All-Pro resume is becoming impossible to ignore entering the final month of the season.

Rookies making first- or second-team All-Pro definitely happens in the NFL, but it’s rare. Only six defensive players have accomplished the feat over the past decade. The three most recent were all first-team selections: Sauce Gardner (2022), Micah Parsons (2021) and Shaquille Leonard (2018).

The only inside linebacker to do it over the last 10 years? Leighton Vander Esch of the Dallas Cowboys, as a second-team selection. Vander Esch had a monster rookie season with 140 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups.

Schwesinger could definitely be the next, as he's been an all-around stalwart for the Browns this season. He leads the team in run stuffs with 39, has two interceptions, and has proven to be a capable pass rusher with 11 QB pressures and 1.5 sacks through 12 games, per Pro Football Focus.

After receiving his Defensive Rookie of the Month award this week, Schwesinger gave a nod to Schwartz, whose scheme has allowed him to play free and fast this year.

“I love playing his defense,” Schwesinger said. “I love playing for him, just being able, as a linebacker, to attack.”

The Browns already have one generational talent on defense in Myles Garrett, who sits four sacks shy of breaking the NFL's single-season record with five games to play. If Schwesinger can join the likes of Gardner and Parsons as a rookie All-Pro? The sky would be the limit for a second-round draft pick who looks like a big part of Cleveland's future.