Carson Schwesinger has been a great story for the UCLA Bruins all season. He’s a former one-star recruit out of high school and had to walk on to earn his spot on the team. After leading the FBS in solo tackles this past year with 90, Carson is now a top linebacking prospect in the Draft.
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Projected to go anywhere from the first to the third round. Many wonder which linebacker he watched and modeled his game after, and the answer may surprise you.
Carson is a big fan of former Carolina Panther, Luke Kuechly. Most players his age would maybe look up to bigger stars like Ray Lewis, Von Miller, or even Clay Matthews. But Kuechly was known as the most dominant linebacker of his era because of his smarts for the game, which is something that Carson tries to do himself.
“I think he was very cerebral and just the way he was so quickly able to diagnose things even pre-snap is something I aspire to do as well,” Carson said on NFL on NBC. “But there was also a level of just violence. You know, the switch would flip once he got on the field. A lot of times you hear people say he was a nice guy outside of football. And then once he’s on the field he’s a different type of animal.”
Co-host of the show, Chris Simms then jumped in and agreed as he used to play with Kuechly. He was known for his incredible football IQ and his versatility in both run and pass coverage. Something that Carson wishes to instill in his own game at the NFL level.
In his prime, Kuechly would be able to read what an offense was going to run just by looking at the formation and personnel. He knew when teams were trying to disguise a run or pass, and made many QBs look foolish because of it. Kuechly was able to do this because of the arduous work he put in during film study, which is also something Carson takes very seriously.
“I’m a big believer in film study. So going into the week, that was a big part of preparation. Even just knowing all the tendencies on third down, second down formation based tendencies, where you’re really going to be able to narrow the options of the play you’re getting. And be able to play fast because of that.”
Carson then went on to talk about a specific game against Nebraska where he noticed on film that the offensive linemen were differing their starting stances based on what run they were going to do.
Carson noticed they were about to have the running back leap over the top of them, so he met the back in midair and stuffed him at the line. It’s plays like these that NFL scouts loved when watching him at UCLA.
Carson’s Draft Projection
As of right now, Schwesinger has a wide projection range to where he could go in the Draft. Some sites have him ranked as high as a first-rounder, some as low as a fourth. It’s going to depend on how good of a show he puts on at the NFL Combine. However, many analysts project that he will undoubtedly improve his draft stock during the weekend.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein called him a “human bloodhound” with good instincts and athleticism. He thinks that he would fit in as a 4-3 will linebacker in the NFL and that his competitiveness should get him a starting role someday.
It’s a bit early to know how good Carson could be in the NFL. But he has all of the makings to be a linebacker like Kuechly. He seems smart, is a willing tackler, and can defend both the run and pass. It’ll be interesting to see if he can handle the physical jump to the next level. But if he can, look out.
