Film room: The rise of Carson Schwesinger

Diving into what the UCLA linebacker could bring to the Raiders

From not being ranked in the 2021 recruiting class and walking on at UCLA to becoming a first-team All-American and a top linebacker prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, Carson Schwesinger is arguably the biggest riser in the draft class.

Schwesinger had only played about 100 defensive snaps heading into this season, according to Pro Football Focus, and didn’t become a starter until Week 4. However, he managed to lead the country with 90 solo tackles (136 total), recorded nine TFL, four sacks and came down with two interceptions last fall to gain the league’s attention.

With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to be looking for a linebacker at the end of the month, the former Bruin is likely on John Spytek’s and Pete Carroll’s radar. So, let’s dive into the tape and see what he could bring to Las Vegas, where he would reunite with new Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who recruited and coached Schwesinger at UCLA for three seasons.

His pro day was Wednesday and it’s clear he will have a lot of interest in the draft.

One of the first elements of Schwesinger’s game that stands out on tape is his athleticism, specifically his lateral movement skills. That helps him mirror running backs in the backfield and make tackles outside of his gap like the one above.

Nebraska runs a simple inside zone where the hole naturally opens up in the backside A-gap against UCLA’s front. So, Schwesinger initially steps downhill to take that lane away from the running back, who responds by bouncing to the backside C-gap. Meanwhile, Schwesinger uses his change of direction skills and agility to match the back’s path and make the tackle well outside of his responsibility for a short, two-yard gain.

His lateral movement skills were a big reason why the UCLA product ranked fourth among Big 10 linebackers with 29 ‘defensive stops’ as a run defender last season despite only taking 267 snaps against the run, per PFF.

Here we’ll see a similar play, just on the goal line against Minnesota. The clip above also is a good highlight of the linebacker’s instincts against the run despite not getting much playing time in college.

Post-snap, his first step is downhill to make sure the running back isn’t looking to jump over the center to score on the short-yardage run. But once he sees the back eying the C-gap or outside and the two lead blockers working toward the perimeter, Schwesigner uses his agility to avoid the trash and attack the lane that opens up. Finally, he has the speed to beat the running back to the hole and come up with the TFL for a goal line stop.

Again, for not having much on-field experience, the former Bruin’s ability to quickly key and diagnose run plays is pretty impressive. That combined with quickness and athleticism allows him to run all over the field.

As one would imagine, Schwesinger’s speed and athleticism are also big assets in coverage as he can click and close to limit yards after the catch.

Nebraska has a good play call here as they run an RPO with UCLA in man coverage. The run fake forces the linebacker to step downhill initially which could make him late to cover the tight end in the flat. However, he quickly recognizes the play design, takes a good angle toward the sideline and has the speed to bring the tight end down for just a two-yard gain.

We’ll see another example of Schwesinger’s ability to close in coverage, this time against a screen on third down. Additionally, this is a good highlight of his play speed, meaning his ability to quickly diagnose what’s developing in front of him and having the athleticism to make the play.

Once Schwesinger sees the left guard releasing toward the flat, he points out the screen and triggers downhill. That combined with impressive speed allows him to beat the center to the spot and avoid the block. To finish, he sinks his hips and redirects as the receiver tries to work back outside, resulting in a great open-field tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

With reps like this one, it’s easy to see how the former Bruin ranked tied for sixth among FBS linebackers and tied for first in the Big 10 with 21 ‘defensive stops’ in coverage, per PFF.

On top of being good at closing in coverage, Schwesinger has fluid hips and can read the quarterback’s eyes when playing zone coverage. Both of those factors are how he manages to come up with an interception on this rep.

UCLA is playing Cover 2 where he’s the Tampa dropper to protect the middle of the field. Initially, he opens his hips to the wide side of the field but sees no crossing routes coming from the two receivers at the top of the screen. So, he flips his hips to the other direction and finds the drag route from the slot receiver and post from the outside wideout.

At first, the linebacker opens his hips to be in a position to drive on the drag route. However, he reads the quarterback’s eyes and sees the quarterback is looking to hit the post. Schwesinger responds by opening his hips back up, stepping into the passing lane and coming down with the interception.

Finally, the UCLA product can also contribute as a pass-rusher as a change of pace.

In the clip above, he’s in man coverage against the running back but the back stays in the protection scheme with Nebraska dialing up a quarterback rollout. That gives the linebacker the freedom to blitz, and he overpowers the running back in pass protection to come up with the sack.

On top of the numbers above, Schwesinger also managed to record 18 pressures on just 62 pass-rush snaps, per PFF.

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Overall, Schwesinger still has some work to do with his ability to take on blocks in the running game as he struggles to hold his ground against offensive linemen. However, he put on some weight at the NFL Combine — going from 225 pounds during the season to 242 pounds in Indianapolis — which should help in that department.

The former walk-on has a high ceiling and the potential to become an every-down player in the NFL, which should pique the Raiders’ interest in the draft later this month. Look for Schwesinger to be a Day 2 target for the Silver and Black and reuniting with Kelly.