Rookie of the Year odds surge for Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger

He has +1000 odds to win, a big leap from his +3500 odds at the beginning of the season. He is only behind Abdul Carter of the Giants, Jihaad Campbell of Eagles and Mykel Williams of the 49ers.

Schwesinger was the Browns second-round pick out of UCLA. In college, Schwesinger went from a walk-on for the Bruins, and developed into an All-American by his final season. He only started for one season in college, but showed enough instincts and athleticism to warrant the Browns taking a chance on him with the 33rd pick.

Schwesinger stepped into a big role at the start of the season, taking over for star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was ruled out of the season after suffering a neck injury last year.

Schwesinger earned the green dot for the Browns following an impressive preseason, signifying he is the defensive signal-caller for the defense, relaying calls from the coaches to the rest of the defense.

It’s a fairly rare honor for a rookie linebacker to achieve, showing his intelligence and leadership for the Browns already.

At the end of his preseason run, Schwesinger received the Maurice Bassett award, an award given to the Browns’ most outstanding rookie, as voted on by the media. 

"I'm very impressed with him on a daily basis," head coach Kevin Stefanski said in August. "Both the plays he makes on the field, what he's able to do in the building. Making those calls is no small feat for young players, and I think the veterans on this team recognize and respect that he knows it. They respect that he puts in the work, and he does make plays out here on the practice field they hope translates to the game."

Schwesinger has already recorded 23 tackles in his NFL career, including 12 solo. On Sunday against the Packers, Schwesinger had the best day of his career so far, racking up 10 total tackles and earning the first sack of his career on an 11-yard hit-stick on Jordan Love.

He also had a sack earlier in the game, but it was called back on a penalty. 

Schewsinger has also been a key piece in what has been an elite Browns’ defense early on this season. The defense ranks first in total yards allowed per game (215.7) while also ranking first in fewest rushing yards allowed and fourth in fewest passing yards allowed.

Fellow rookie teammate and first-round pick Mason Graham is just a few spots behind, currently sitting in 9th with +2000 odds. Graham has 11 total tackles and 0.5 sacks, but has been an anchor that requires offenses to change their schemes for one of the league's top defensive lines.

With Schwesinger leading the Browns defense along with Graham, the Browns’ defense appears to be secured for long-term success.