The road from a rollercoaster senior season in Death Valley to NFL stardom is never easy, but if anyone can blaze that trail, it's former Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. The Tiger faithful know he's got the heart and the tools to make it happen.
Sure, injuries knocked Cade's draft stock down to the fourth round, but the New York Jets saw what Tiger fans have always known and traded up to grab him at No. 110 overall. Now, NFL scouts are buzzing about Klubnik's upside. In a FOX Sports poll asking which Day 3 quarterback could pull off a Brock Purdy-style breakout, Klubnik was the runaway favorite. The pros are finally catching on to what we've seen in orange and white.
An anonymous NFL scout provided a highly balanced perspective on why the rookie's raw physical traits remain coveted by front offices despite his late-career college turbulence.
“The tools are all there: the arm, the athletic ability, and he’s really smart. His big flaw is that he can be pressured into bad decisions,” the scout evaluated. “Had he stayed healthy he probably could’ve been a second-rounder. Maybe late first. … On the right team he could be good. Just keep the pressure off him and he’s got the skills to make things happen. But he has to be in a better situation than he’s in right now.”
Unlike most late-round flyers, Klubnik steps into a Jets quarterback room where the door is wide open. Geno Smith is holding down the fort for now, but he's 35 and has tossed 32 picks in the last two years. If Cade shows out in camp like we know he can, don't be surprised when he beats out Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook for the backup job. The path to the field is right there for the taking.
With the Jets eyeing a loaded 2027 quarterback draft, the front office will want to see what Klubnik can do in real NFL action before making any big decisions. If Cade takes care of the football and shows that Tiger toughness under pressure, he could turn his draft-day slide into one of the great steals of the season. Never count out a Clemson man with something to prove.
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