Mitchell Schwartz, a Jewish football player from Pacific Palisades who had a stellar career at Cal, was selected in the second round of the NFL draft April 27 by the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are hoping the 22-year-old right tackle will shore up the right side of the offensive line, an area of concern after a disappointing 4-12 season last year. They took him with the 37th overall pick.
“My family reacted a little more intensely than I did,” Brown told the Cleveland Jewish News. “They were jumping on the couch and running around a little. It was awesome.”
Schwartz said he and his brother Geoff, an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings, were raised in a strong Jewish household. He said they attended Hebrew school and that the family belonged to Conservative synagogue Adat Shalom in Los Angeles.
Schwartz, who is 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds, started all 51 games possible during his Cal career from 2008 to 2011, at either right or left tackle, while earning a bachelor’s degree in American studies. He was named the Golden Bears’ most valuable offensive lineman in each of the last three seasons, and did not allow a sack last fall, helping Cal average 28.3 points and 401.5 yards of total offense. n