Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger had one of the best rookie seasons in years.
The No. 33 overall pick in the 2025 draft racked up 156 total tackles, which was the sixth-most in the entire NFL, along with 11 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, three passes deflected, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions, playing 97% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps.
That workload and production earned him AP Defensive Player of the Year, receiving 40 of 50 first-place votes. He even wore the green dot throughout the entire season, meaning he was calling Cleveland’s defensive plays, as a rookie.
On Tuesday, July 14, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped his top 10 list for off-ball linebackers, and put Schwesinger No. 3 overall, behind only the 49ers’ Fred Warner and Ravens’ Roquan Smith.
One personnel executive for an unnamed NFL team even likened him to Luke Kuechly, now in the Hall of Fame.
“He’s (Luke) Kuechly reincarnated,” the NFL exec told Fowler. “Elite speed, athleticism, instincts, ball skills.”
“Plays fast, excellent instincts, good in coverage,” another top AFC evaluator said. “Impressive for a rookie.”
Kuechly played for the Carolina Panthers from 2012 and 2019 before retiring from the NFL in 2020. Despite playing just eight seasons, he’s widely viewed as one of the best linebackers of all time.
Over that span, he earned seven Pro Bowls, five first-team All-Pro honors, two second-team All-Pro honors, won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, and Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He also led the NFL in combined tackles as a rookie, and again two years later.
He was part of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and, to this day, is tied for the all-time record for most combined tackles in a game with 24.
Kuechly wasn’t necessarily the flashiest athlete, but he processed plays faster than almost anyone on the field and was one of the best tacklers of his era.
For a second-year player to draw those types of comparisons shows how highly scouts, executives, and coaches around the league look at Schwesinger. And if the comparison holds, he should be in line for a monster 2026 season.