Former UCLA Bruin linebacker Carson Schwesinger is just one year into his NFL career but his peers have already taken notice. Schwesinger was named in the NFL’s Top 100 of 2026 at No. 93, a list that is voted on by the player’s themselves.
It’s not just the players that took notice either, Schwesinger was named the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, immediately becoming an integral piece to the Browns defense. Cleveland will be even more reliant on Schwesinger in year two after the team traded away the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Myles Garrett.
“A 2025 second-round pick who turned in a sensational first season, Schwesinger became the first AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Browns since Chip Banks in 1982,” wrote NFL.com writer Grant Gordon. “Schwesigner was the leading tackler for a Cleveland defense that ranked fourth in yards allowed. With Myles Garrett traded to the Rams, Schwesinger and pass rusher Jared Versewill now be looked on to lead the Browns for years to come. The UCLA product is off to a phenomenal start so far.”
In his rookie season, Schwesinger totaled 156 combined tackles with 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. None of which was promised to Schwesinger, who began his college career as a walk-on at UCLA. After a couple years as a reserve, Schwesinger showed his abilities as a redshirt junior, enticing the Browns to take him with the first pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Schwesinger slowly climbed the ranks with the Bruins, earning an Associated Press First Team All-American nod for his junior season. Schwesinger played in 38 career games with the Bruins, making his 163 total tackles despite starting only 10 games.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Carson Schwesinger cracks NFL’s Top-100 list after rookie season
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
