Carson Schwesinger
Career Summary
Carson Schwesinger is a linebacker from Moorpark, California, who walked on at UCLA before the Cleveland Browns selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Early Life
Schwesinger is a native of Moorpark, California, attended Oaks Christian School, and majored in bioengineering at UCLA.
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Sources for this section
High School
Schwesinger attended Oaks Christian School in California before continuing his football career at UCLA as a walk-on.
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College Career
At UCLA, Schwesinger played in 38 games with 10 starts across four seasons, totaling 163 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble. After redshirting as a walk-on in 2021, he played in all 13 games in both 2022 and 2023 before becoming a full-time starter in 2024.
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Path to the NFL
The Cleveland Browns selected Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 33rd overall, after his breakout UCLA season.
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NFL Career
Schwesinger won the 2025 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award after leading NFL rookies with 146 tackles and 11 tackles for loss; he also was tied for third among rookies in interceptions.
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Career Accomplishments
Schwesinger was a first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024. He led the FBS with 90 solo tackles and ranked third nationally with 136 total tackles, while adding 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. He was also a Butkus Award finalist and a UCLA team captain.
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Playing Style
NFL draft analysis described Schwesinger as an instinctive linebacker with strong play recognition, coverage ability and reliable open-field tackling. The analysis also noted his special-teams value and projected him as a potential future starter inside or at weak-side linebacker.
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Sources for this section
31188, 00-0040579, 2003-02-24, Carson Schwesinger, Carson, Schwesinger
MFT PLAYER RANKINGS
Current player ranking
MFT Score: 87.2
2026 preseason baseline. Position-relative and updated through the site’s weekly review process.