Former Bruins Star Named Starter Before First NFL Preseason Game

The Bruins will be well-represented during one of this week's NFL preseason games.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Every year before the NFL Draft, certain players see a rise in their stock as the big day creeps closer. Earlier this offseason, one of those players happened to be Carson Schwesinger, the former UCLA Bruins star linebacker. Schwesinger wasn't on many radars targeting the earlier part of the draft, but that changed quickly over the first several months of the year.

Once teams saw how Schwesinger flew around the field at UCLA, there was no way he'd last past the second round. There was a chance the former Bruin could sneak into the back half of the first round, but that eventually didn't happen. It wasn't long until Schwesinger heard his name called, however, as the Cleveland Browns made him the first pick in the second round.

Now just mere days away from his first preseason game, Schwesinger has been named a starter on the Browns' first unofficial depth chart.

Schwesinger cracks the starting lineup

In his final season at UCLA, Schwesinger accumulated 136 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions. His 90 total tackles in 2024 led the nation and was also named a Associated Press First Team All-American for his stellar play.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Schwesinger is looking to make an immediate impact in the NFL. He'll be starting with Jerome Baker and Mohamoud Diabate, as they're set to be the Browns' three main linebackers in their 4-3 base defense. Diabate was quick to notice how smart Schwesinger was, even mentioning his engineering degree from UCLA.

"I mean, he's a real cerebral player. 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."

Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal mentioned that Schwesinger even received the "green dot" during training camp this year, meaning he's been relaying plays to the defense. That's a huge responsibility for a rookie linebacker, but one the Browns are confident that he can succeed with.

The Browns will head to Carolina on Friday to take on the Panthers in their first preseason game of the season. It'll be interesting to see how Schwesinger performs in his first NFL game action.

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