A former walk-on who led all Power 4 players in tackles as a UCLA senior, then won Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Browns.
Carson Schwesinger's path from unranked UCLA walk-on to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is one of the more unlikely rises in recent draft classes. The Browns took him in the second round of the 2025 draft, and within his first season he was already the middle of Cleveland's defense.
Path to the league
Schwesinger arrived at UCLA as an unranked recruit out of Oaks Christian School and walked onto the team, spending his first three seasons buried on special teams and the depth chart. He broke out as a senior captain in 2024, racking up 136 tackles and earning First Team All-Big Ten and First Team All-American honors. The Browns selected him 33rd overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
At UCLA, Schwesinger's senior season included 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a Butkus Award finalist nod after leading all Power 4 players in tackles. He carried that momentum into the pros, starting all 16 games as a rookie and finishing with 156 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
2025 season recap
Schwesinger anchored Cleveland's linebacker corps from Week 1, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in November and a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He capped the season by being named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and cracked the league's Top 100 Players list for 2026, though a quadriceps injury landed him on injured reserve in January.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Carson Schwesinger
- ESPN: Carson Schwesinger
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
16 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | browns | 16 | 156 | 67 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- UCLA
- Hometown
- Moorpark, CA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
