The NFL’s Next Star Linebacker Is Already in Cleveland, and Execs Are Comparing Him to a Legend

The Cleveland Browns might have found something special in Carson Schwesinger. The rookie linebacker was already turning heads last season, but now NFL personnel are drawing a direct line between him and a Hall of Fame-level talent.

Executives and coaches around the league ranked the top off-ball linebackers in a recent ESPN survey. Schwesinger landed at No. 3 overall. That alone is remarkable for a first-year player. But what one executive said about him is what’s really making people sit up.

“He’s Kuechly reincarnated,” a personnel executive from an NFL team told ESPN. “Elite speed, athleticism, instincts, ball skills.”

Luke Kuechly was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a defensive anchor for the Panthers. That’s not a comparison you toss around lightly. And yet, multiple evaluators are seeing the same thing.

Schwesinger’s rookie numbers back up the hype

Let’s talk production. Schwesinger finished with 156 tackles last season and took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He was one of only three players with at least two sacks, two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss. You have to go back to 2018 to find another rookie who hit those marks — Shaquille Leonard did it for the Colts.

The NFL’s top 100 players list included Schwesinger at No. 93. Not bad for a guy who just finished his first pro season.

“Plays fast, excellent instincts, good in coverage,” an AFC evaluator said. “Impressive for a rookie.”

Still, there’s some caution. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that some scouts want to see Schwesinger do it again before they put him in the top two. Fair enough. One great season is a sample, not a career.

But Brown’s run game coordinator and linebackers coach Jason Tarver sounds like a guy who knows he’s got something special in the building.

“Carson’s so smart and studies everything and wants to be really good at everything,” Tarver said. “And his superpower, of course, is running to the ball and finding the ball. So, we’re amplifying that with some of the scheme and how he goes. And then being able to do everything.”

Tarver added that Schwesinger wants to excel in coverage, pass rushing and run defense. The coaching staff is building drills around that mentality this spring.

“He wants to be really good at everything, whether he’s covering, rushing, fitting runs,” Tarver said. “So, there’s a few things in each of those categories that those are our emphasis points.”

The Browns have a long history of struggling to find a true difference-maker at linebacker. If Schwesinger keeps this up, Cleveland might finally have its own version of Kuechly. And the rest of the AFC North should probably be worried.