



UCLA saw two defensive players selected in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) and edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo was taken by the Tennessee Titans as the 20th pick of the second round (52nd overall).
Schwesinger had met with all 32 NFL teams prior to the draft and held his own private pro day at Oaks Christian School, which was attended by every team except for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
“You talk about a guy who’s a walk-on and not only a walk-on, but really a one-year starter,” Browns assistant general manager Glenn Cook told reporters. “He started three games into this season and just took off and is extremely productive, extremely smart, very versatile. Kind of fits exactly the identity we want on defense.”
Cook added that he’s willing to develop Schwesinger but also expressed immediate confidence in him as a player on special teams or defense.
“I have no questions about his ability to be the green dot if that’s what we need from him,” Cook said.
Schwesinger was the No. 4 linebacker in the position group according to Pro Football Focus’ rankings going into this year’s draft. The walk-on-turned-All-American led the country in solo tackles (90) and solo tackles per game (7 1/2) as a redshirt junior before declaring for the draft.
Myles Jack was the Bruins’ most recent linebacker to be drafted in the second round. He was the fifth pick in the second round and 36th overall in 2016.
Oladejo, who was originally a linebacker before moving to edge, had met with all 32 teams in some capacity and his top 30 official meetings included the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Titans.
He watched the draft from his hometown of Sacramento with his mom, sister and uncle and spoke with Tennessee-based reporters on a Zoom call Thursday evening.
“I kind of knew it was a possibility. It was a great meeting, great staff, great personnel. Great city. No state tax,” Oladejo said with a laugh.
He shined at the Senior Bowl with two sacks in the game after putting together his best season as a Bruin in 2024. He led the team with 13 1/2 tackles for loss, 4 1/2 sacks and six quarterback hurries.
The defensive scheme at UCLA also prepared Oladejo well for professional football.
“Me and (defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson) had a great conversation,” he said. “I know the whole system already due to the fact that it’s very similar to where I came from. We had a great interaction so I’m excited to get under his wing and learn.”
Titans head coach Brian Callahan is a UCLA graduate. He was a walk-on quarterback for the Bruins before becoming a graduate assistant in 2006 and 2007.