Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL: Joe Schobert

In this edition of our Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL, we look at what Joe Schobert has done in his three seasons for the Cleveland Browns.

When Joe Schobert went to the University of Wisconsin to play linebacker, he quickly showed that he was not a one-dimensional defensive player. He could play the run as well as play coverage and rush the passer.

He showed all these abilities in small capacities in his first time seeing the field his sophomore year. He made a modest 24 tackles, 2.5 for loss, had a sack, and three passes defended.

However, it was his junior and senior seasons when he solidified himself as a playmaking star. He totaled 31 tackles for loss across those two seasons, including 20 in his senior season. Those 20 tackles for loss led the Big Ten and were sixth in the entire NCAA.

Schobert also racked up 9.5 sacks his senior season, mostly from rushing off the edge. He continued to play well in coverage, with seven passes defended in his final two seasons and an interception.

He added one more important facet of his game in his junior and senior seasons at Wisconsin. This was the ability to hit hard and force fumbles. He forced six total fumbles in those two seasons and carried that ability with him to the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.

His playmaking ability shown in his years at Wisconsin was enough for the Browns to take him with the 99th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

His rookie season was similar to his sophomore season at Wisconsin. He did a little of everything, making 16 tackles, one for loss, along with three quarterback hits, and defended one pass.

In 2017, Schobert made the switch to middle linebacker, which has allowed him to be a field general on defense. As the vocal leader on the defensive side of the ball, he took on a lot of extra responsibilities in his second season with Cleveland.

He made the Pro Bowl in 2017, making 142 total tackles which tied him for second in the league with Green Bay Packer linebacker, Blake Martinez. Four of those tackles were for a loss and he had three sacks in addition to an interception and four passes defended.

2017 also brought back the power-hitting Joe Schobert, as he forced three fumbles. Last year in 2018 he forced another two. He kept showing his all-around game last season, collecting another three sacks, six passes defended, and another interception.

His raw tackle numbers may have been inflated in 2017 because of the rest of the Browns defense not doing much to help. But they were better in 2018 and Schobert still matched his production. The Browns seem to be an up-and-coming team that could make the playoffs this year.

Schobert has yet to taste playoff football and he is surely very hungry. He is a very intelligent player in the middle of the defense, and one of the most well-rounded defensive players in the league.

If Schobert continues to do all the things that he has been; forcing fumbles, knocking away passes, and making plays behind the line of scrimmage, he could find himself a perennial Pro-Bowl player on a winning team. He has suffered through a few losing seasons and 2019 is his time to show that he is a top-level middle linebacker on a winning squad.