BEREA, Ohio — Ten months ago at the NFL Combine, future Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was asked who his favorite linebacker was when he was growing up.

“Still to this day, is Luke Kuechly,” Schwesinger said. “I think everybody knows about his cerebralness and his athleticism, but also, the second he got on the field there was a flip-that-switch (mentality) and he became a different type of guy. Violence and tenacity in his play.”

Ten months later, it sounds as if Schwesinger is describing himself in his first year in Cleveland.

A definitive standout in a 3-10 season, Schwesinger has now even drawn comparisons to Kuechly, a likely future Hall of Famer, from opposing coaches.

“Schwesinger, he’s a really good player,” said Bears coach Ben Johnson. “He’s going to be a good player for a long time as well. He’s all over the place. Highly instinctive. It reminds me, I was with Luke Kuechly at Boston College. He reminds me a lot of Kuechly, just watched him on tape. You can’t fool him. He’s got good eyes, and he’s super fast.”

Schwesinger leads the Browns with 111 tackles and also has 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and three passes defensed.

He’s emerged as the favorite to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award despite the Browns’ losing record.

Fittingly, the last middle linebacker to win the award was Kuechly in 2012, a year in which he had 164 tackles, one sack and two interceptions. That year he was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in tackles.

In his eight-year career, all with the Panthers, Kuechly also made seven Pro Bowls and was a five-time All-Pro.

‘It would mean a lot,“ Schwesinger conceded when asked about being the first interior ‘backer to win the award since Kuechly, before adding, ”I’m not really focused on that and I think when you start to focus on things like that. You lose sight of what we’re really trying to do here and as a defense and really focusing on this week, and then next week I’ll be focusing in on next week. And so that’s really where my mindset’s at right now.”

This week, Schwesinger’s mind will be on stopping the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams, and the Bears’ rushing attack that ranks No. 2 in the NFL (152.6 rushing yards per game).

“One of the things you’ve got to be ready for is just the creation after the play,” Schwesinger said of Williams. “I think he does a good job of being able to get out of sacks and so I think it’s just a matter of when you do have the opportunities to get him down, having the right technique to do that and then just on the back end in coverage, being able to stay on your guides.

“I mean, it’s a hard thing to do, but doing the best to stay home and make those throwing windows small when he’s doing that.”

Schwesinger will try to lead the way for a Browns bounce back in the run game as well.

Cleveland tied a season-worst mark last week giving up 184 rushing yards in a 31-29 loss to the Titans. Most of that damage came on two touchdown runs by Tony Pollard for 65 and 32 yards.

“It was those two plays and other than that, I feel like we did a pretty solid job against the run,” Schwesinger said. “It’s just not letting our guard down for a single play and every play matters and we can’t have bad eyes for one play. It’s we got to go in prepared for everything they’re going to give us and have success on every play.”

If Schwesinger can help the Browns steady their run defense and contain Williams’ improvisation, it’ll be one more step in a rookie season that keeps echoing the player he’d spent years studying.

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