Eye-rolling pick to eye-opening plays: Carson Schwesinger making presence felt with Browns

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4 days ago

BEREA — The night the Browns selected Carson Schwesinger with the first pick of the second round, there were a number of people who rolled their eyes at the selection.
A linebacker at No. 33? For a team that had so many offensive questions?
Those eye rolls are quickly turning into the living embodiment of the eyes emoji. Schwesinger still has to play in a game, but he's gaining fans with every practice rep.
"I mean, he's a real cerebral player," linebackers Mohamoud Diabate said on Day 8 of Browns training camp Aug. 1. "I mean you could tell that from his profile. Going to UCLA, graduating with engineering, he's a very smart player. He works very hard, as you could tell from being a walk-on to where he is now. Those are the two things that stand out. He works like a dog and he's very intelligent, very smart."
Schwesinger's ability to turn heads the moment he stepped on an NFL practice field runs counter to the journey he took to get to the NFL. Underrecruited coming out of a small Christian high school in Southern California, he had to walk on at UCLA.
Even while at UCLA, Schwesinger's climb took time. He was a special-teams star almost exclusively until his final year, when he turned into an All-American and the Big Ten's leading tackler.
The 6-foot-3, 242-pound 22-year-old hasn't forgotten that climb. He also hasn't lost the motivation provided by the journey.
"I mean, I can't remember a time where I haven't wanted to go out there and try and be the best I can when I'm on the field," Schwesinger said after Day 7 of Browns training camp July 30. "And so I think it's just keeping that same mentality, making sure that whatever's happening, it's my goal to try and be the hardest worker I could possibly be."
The responsibility that's being put on Schwesinger's plate as a rookie isn't that of someone being eased into pro football. He's already been one of the players wearing the "green dot" that signifies the defensive signal caller, a lofty expectation to put on any player.
That happened before the Browns' linebacker room was stripped of some of its biggest leaders. Only a couple of weeks after Schwesinger was drafted, the team announced that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was not going to play for at least the 2025 season as he continues to recover from his 2024 neck injury.
The third day of training camp, on July 25, 10-year veteran Jordan Hicks announced he was retiring. Hicks' decision left just two players — seven-year pro Devin Bush and six-year pro Jerome Baker — with more than two year's worth of playing experience at the linebacker position.
"I think it just creates a lot of opportunity for the whole room," Schwesinger said, "and room for guys to step up, whether on the field, in leadership roles, all those ways. I think we've got a great room to be able to do that."
The ceiling of that room starts with the ceiling of the No. 33 pick in April's draft. It's a ceiling that seems to be limitless.
It's not just the way Schwesinger has delivered some of the biggest hits of training camp to date. It's the way he acts after the fact.
"I mean, he doesn't even say much," Diabate said. "He knows what's expected, and that's the cool thing about Carson. He just goes out there and balls and he doesn't say too much. I'm more of the guy I'm going to make a hit. That's not really his style, but I love it. He goes out there, he smashes somebody and he gets up like it's a regular Tuesday and goes back to the next play."
That doesn't mean Schwesinger doesn't enjoy getting to watch his work after the fact. Such as the one he delivered to fellow rookie Dylan Sampson.
The first day the Browns were in full pads on July 28, Sampson took a handoff and came through the hole high. Schwesinger perfectly read the play and delivered a hit that could be heard around the practice field, as could the yells of his defensive teammates who swarmed him afterwards, led by Myles Garrett.
"Defense, you always love big hits," Schwesinger said with a grin. "So you always look forward to seeing those on any film. So that was a fun one."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [e-mail]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Carson Schwesinger opening eyes as rookie in Browns training camp