I'm not sure it's so unusual. I think the circumstances are what's unusual.
You can look at great D players like LT, Bruce Smith, Ronnie Lott, Warren Sapp and the list goes on that were taking over leadership roles in their second seasons. Not only that, they were expected to fill that role from the day they were drafted. But they were all drafted near the top of the 1st round.
For me what is different in this situation and makes it at least somewhat unusual is that Schwesinger is the guy they, "never saw coming". If the league would have seen what he was capable of on draft day he never would have been sitting on the draft board at #33. As a matter of fact some were surprised by the pick and thought it was a reach.
So I certainly agree that his ability to be a leader of the D is a surprise for many, I think that comes from where he was drafted and living up to a role far exceeding the expectation of fans at the time.
But it's certainly nice for us to get a pleasant surprise for a change isn't it?
