Now that three-quarters of the NFL season have evaporated, ESPN is gearing up for its postseason awards by giving fans a sneak peek at which players top all of their lists. Unsurprisingly, given the team’s 2025 NFL draft class, the Cleveland Browns will be prominently displayed in any list that is about rookies this season.
DT Mason Graham has come on strong, LB Carson Schwesinger seems like a lock for Defensive Rookie of the Year (after receiving Rookie of the Month for November), RB Quinshon Judkins has been the main cog of the offense, while TE Harold Fannin Jr. has taken over as the team’s top tight end.
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RB Dylan Sampson has shown flashes, while Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel still have time to make an impact.
RELATED: SHEDEUR SANDERS ENTERING VITAL STRETCH
It just so happens that both players were taken by the Browns in Round 2 of the 2025 NFL draft: LB Carson Schwesinger and RB Quinshon Judkins. The duo has been key components of their side of the ball, and each gathered scrutiny when they were selected.
Here is ESPN’s Top-10 rookie list:
#1 LB Carson Schwesinger – Browns
Their narrative from writer Jeff Legwold:
Schwesinger is a former walk-on at UCLA who is now the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He has the processing speed of a former bioengineering major in the middle of coordinator Jim Schwartz’s defense. And his physicality has helped Schwesinger rank in the NFL’s top 11 for total tackles. Among those players, Schwesinger has the most tackles for loss (10) and the most QB hits (six).
So far this season, with five games remaining, Schwesinger has 12 starts, 106 total tackles (ranked #9), 10 tackles for loss, 6 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, 2 batted passes, two interceptions, 6 pressures, 3 knockdowns, 1 hurry, and 8 missed tackles. If you assume the missed tackles are big numbers, seven players in the Top-20 tacklers have double-digit numbers.
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#8 RB Quinshon Judkins – Browns
The write-up from writer Kalyn Kahler:
Despite missing Cleveland’s Week 1 contest, Judkins made an appearance on our initial rookie rankings three weeks later. He has returned to the list after stepping into the lead back role that was vacated by Nick Chubb (now with the Texans). Judkins has had 20 or more touches in five games and is the only reliable component on the league’s fourth-worst scoring offense (16.2 points per game).
The running back has been a blessing for this offense this season. His stats include 11 starts, 758 yards on 196 carries, 46 first down conversions, seven touchdowns, 3.9 yards per carry average, 17 receptions for 88 yards and four first down conversions, plus zero fumbles.
In the past NFL draft held in April, Browns GM Andrew Berry had the first pick in Round 2, commonly called “first-round talent at second-round money.” After the first round came and went on opening night, Berry fielded lots of calls from clubs that wanted a certain player who had dropped out of Round 1 and was still on the board.
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Berry is a well-known trader. Oddly enough, he kept the pick. Maybe the offers weren‘t good enough. Perhaps he was looking at one or two of the athletes projected in the first round himself and saw value. Then again, maybe he had a focus on a player that he could not believe was sitting there at pick #33 and listened to his gut.
Berry then selected LB Schwesinger out of UCLA. This player led the nation in solo tackles (90). He was a bit larger than the normal linebackers taken in the draft these days, and was more relatable to those beefy guys from the 1980s, as Schwesinger stood 6’-3” and weighed in at 242 pounds.
Schwesinger was projected to be taken in the bottom half of Round 2, specifically pick #53. It was noted that he had elite processing speed and intelligence that would allow him the opportunity to become a starter and impact his ability as an MIKE or WILL linebacker for a 4-3 defense like Cleveland.
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But it wasn’t so much a surprise that Schwesinger zoomed right up Round 2 to the very first pick, as it was of who was still on the board that Berry passed on: QB Shedeur Sanders, WR Jayden Higgins, S Nick Emmanwori, DT T.J. Sanders, WR Luther Burden, and OT Aireontae Ersery.
All of these players were certainly in positions of need for the Browns, not necessarily a linebacker. JOK was returning. Jordan Hicks was one of the league’s best tacklers. Devin Bush had a resurgence.
For Judkins, Browns’ fans were still in mourning about not re-signing Nick Chubb. Nobody wanted to hear – or see – that he was actually going to be replaced. No, sir, bring Chubb back was the mantra.
And besides, a lot of folks in the media stated that Cleveland had actually drafted the wrong Ohio State running back and should have taken Judkins’ teammate TreVeyon Henderson instead, who was selected two picks later in the second round.
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Judkins was more of a beast back, whereas Henderson was sleek and fast. But when you look at career college stats, Judkins’ numbers really stand out. Still, a ton of Browns’ fans were also Ohio State faithful and knew their players. Henderson was the one, not Judkins.
But Henderson’s NFL numbers are a bit shy of Judkins. He has just 625 yards with five TDs. Plus, he has played two more contests than Judkins and has one lost fumble.
This rookie class for Cleveland is a special one. The jury is still out on both quarterbacks, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, but both defensive players Berry nabbed are key components to this Browns’ defense as TE Harold Fannin is having a good season.
