Carson Schwesinger 2025 NFL Draft: UCLA ILB Scouting Report
In a talented 2025 NFL Draft class, a standout inside linebacker to keep on your radar is Carson Schwesinger. He’s an athletic ILB from UCLA with excellent blitzing ability. Today, we’ll break down his NFL outlook with this in-depth expert scouting report. Additionally, we will be breaking down his strengths, areas for improvement, and his potential draft grade.
Carson Schwesinger 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Schwesinger arrived at UCLA as a walk-on in 2021, overlooked by major recruiting services despite a productive high school career at Oaks Christian School. Initially a special teams contributor and reserve linebacker, he earned a scholarship before the 2022 season and emerged as a team captain in 2024. His breakout redshirt junior campaign showcased a rare blend of instincts, athleticism, and relentless effort. As a result, he burst into the national spotlight with First Team All-American honors and a finalist nod for the Butkus Award.
HT: 6024
WT: 242
HAND: 1068
ARM: 3368
40: 4.73
Strengths:
- Instincts and Play Recognition: Schwesinger’s ability to diagnose plays is exceptional for a player with only one year of starting experience. He reads keys quickly, anticipates ball-carrier paths, and positions himself to disrupt plays before they develop.
- Athleticism: He displays fluid movement skills, with loose hips and quick-twitch agility, allowing him to cover ground sideline-to-sideline and drop effectively in zone coverage.
- Tackling Efficiency: A reliable wrap-up tackler with a low missed tackle rate. Combines explosive closing speed with sound technique to finish plays in open space or at the line of scrimmage.
- Versatility: Thrives as a three-down linebacker, excelling in run defense, underneath zone coverage, and as a blitzer. His experience on special teams adds immediate value.
- Motor: He plays with a relentless edge, chasing down plays from behind and maintaining effort through the whistle. His walk-on mentality shines through in his work ethic.
- Blitzing Ability: Times his rushes well, using a quick first step and active hands to penetrate gaps and pressure quarterbacks. Recorded 4.0 sacks in 2024, showing upside as a pass-rush weapon.
Areas for Improvement:
- Play Strength: Schwesinger lacks a strong lower body to anchor and consistently take on and shed blocks from offensive linemen. He can get washed out when engaged head-on.
- Experience: His sample size is limited, with only one season as a full-time starter. He needs to prove he can adjust to the speed and complexity of NFL offenses over a larger body of work.
- Discipline in Pursuit: Occasionally overcommits to initial reads, leaving him vulnerable to misdirection or play-action. He must refine his patience to avoid being drawn out of position.
- Man Coverage: While effective in zone, his man-to-man skills against quicker running backs or shifty tight ends remain a work in progress. Hips can tighten when flipping to match routes vertically.
- Functional Mass: Upper-body strength is adequate but not elite. Developing a go-to shedding move or adding muscle could elevate his ability to disengage from blockers.
Conclusion:
All in all, Schwesinger is a modern linebacker prototype. He’s fast, smart, and versatile, with the intangibles to overcome his physical limitations. Additionally, his meteoric rise from walk-on to All-American underscores his ceiling. However, NFL teams will weigh his one-year production against his need for added mass and refinement—a high-upside prospect with a clear path to early contributions and long-term potential.
Schwesinger’s high football IQ and athletic tools suggest he can contribute early as a rotational piece and special teamer, with the potential to grow into a full-time starter by Year 2 or 3 if he adds strength.
Overall, Schwesinger projects as a Weakside linebacker (WILL) in a 4-3 scheme or a hybrid MIKE in a multiple-front defense that emphasizes speed and playmaking over thumping physicality. He is best suited for a system that allows him to play in space, pursue downhill, and utilize his coverage range (e.g., Tampa 2 or Cover 3-heavy defenses). He could also thrive as a sub-package linebacker in nickel/dime alignments. He compares to Drue Tranquill (Chiefs) – a similarly athletic, instinctive linebacker who carved out a niche role before becoming a reliable starter.
Round Grade: 3rd Round
Stats: Per Sports Reference
| Season | Team | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sk | Int | PD | FR | FF |
| 2022* | UCLA | LB | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023* | UCLA | LB | 13 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | UCLA | LB | 12 | 90 | 46 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
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