The Cleveland Browns don’t have a shortage of rookie players who could make an instant impact in 2025 with names like Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, and Harold Fannin Jr. all vying for playing time entering this first season in the NFL.
Yet, one NFL analyst believes a Browns rookie defender could have a big impact from the start of the 2025 NFL season.
Browns Rookie LB Carson Schwesinger Predicted to Have Instant in 2025
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report recently dropped the names of 10 rookies drafted outside of the first round who could make an instant impact in 2025. Browns rookie LB Carson Schwesinger was the first name to appear on that list.
Sobleski wrote, “The organization already knew of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s situation prior to the draft. The former Pro Bowl linebacker suffered a neck injury last season, and the team placed him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list in May.”
The loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for the 2025 NFL season certainly opens the door for a new contributor to the second level of this defensive unit to emerge in 2025. Yet, the loss of another veteran linebacker to this unit with Jordan Hicks retiring likely increases the chances of Schwesinger seeing a big role on the field for the Browns in 2025.
Sobleski added, “Jordan Hicks’ abrupt retirement at the onset of training camp was probably more of a surprise. He was the Browns’ defensive leader last season, as the group’s wearer of the green dot and play-caller. Jerome Baker can step in and fill the role after starting 90 games during his career. Schwesinger can as well.”
Schwesinger had a breakout season in his final year at UCLA with 136 total tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions. Schwesinger projects as an athletic off ball linebacker who could rack up tackles from sideline to sideline behind a talented defensive line unit that features Myles Garrett and rookie Mason Graham.
Sobleski touched on his expectations for Schwesinger to be on the field early in his career by writing, “Whether Schwesinger is handed the defensive reins from the onset of his career has yet to be determined. But he’s almost certainly going to be on the field and starting. His movement skills are outstanding, and he has a nose for the football to amass a significant amount of tackles.”
Who Else Could Factor Into the Linebacker Equation for the Browns in 2025?
The aforementioned losses of Owusu-Koramoah and Hicks should make the top three linebackers Schwesinger, Baker, and former first-round pick Devin Bush.
Baker is an accomplished veteran who has topped 60 total tackles and recorded a sack every year of his NFL career, but is coming off of a season where he registered just 61 total tackles and two sacks while splitting his time between the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks in 2024.
Bush was arrested earlier this year in connection with alleged assault and harassment charges but is practicing with the team to start training camp.
Bush has failed to be the impact player many expected he would become coming out of Michigan, but still provides a veteran presence alongside Baker and Schwesinger.
Ultimately, Schwesinger is well positioned to make an instant impact for the Browns in 2025.
