What a difference a month makes.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik began the 2025 season surrounded by Heisman buzz and No. 1 overall draft projections. Five games later, the hype has cooled — and NFL scouts are beginning to backpedal on the once-projected top pick.
According to ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, one AFC East scout described Klubnik as “a Day 3 guy,” noting that without key playmakers like Antonio Williams, the senior “looked average.”
“OK arm, OK processing speed. Way too overhyped,” the scout reportedly told Miller.
That kind of assessment would have been unthinkable just months ago. But with Clemson off to a 2–3 start and the Tigers’ offense sputtering, Klubnik’s early-season numbers have given critics ammunition. He’s completing just 59.2% of his passes, his lowest mark in four seasons, and his interception total is already half of last year’s entire count.
The Rise That Built the Hype
What’s being forgotten, however, is how Klubnik earned that preseason buzz in the first place.
Last year, he rebounded from an uneven sophomore campaign to deliver one of the best quarterback seasons in Clemson history — 36 total touchdowns (tied for second-most in program history) and 4,102 all-purpose yards, the second-most in the nation.
That 2024 performance positioned Klubnik among the elite. His arm talent, mobility, and leadership fueled talk of him following in the footsteps of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence — both former Clemson QBs who became first-round picks and NFL starters.
Now, though, the conversation has shifted from coronation to course correction.
What Scouts Still See in Klubnik
Despite the skepticism, evaluators aren’t giving up entirely. Multiple scouting outlets still view Klubnik as a “tools-plus” quarterback with enough arm strength and intelligence to climb back into first-round consideration — if he can right the ship down the stretch.
The key, as one NFC scout reportedly put it, will be how Klubnik responds when the pressure peaks.
He’ll have that chance. Clemson still has several high-profile matchups left, and the Tigers’ offense is expected to regain key contributors in the coming weeks. A late-season surge — like his junior breakout — could re-ignite his draft momentum just in time for the 2026 NFL Draft cycle.
“He’s shown before what he can be,” one evaluator said. “If he finds that rhythm again, this conversation looks totally different by November.”
The Bottom Line
Cade Klubnik’s draft stock isn’t dead — it’s just on pause.
NFL teams may be re-evaluating, but scouts also know how quickly fortunes can flip in college football. A few headline performances, and the same analysts calling him “overhyped” could soon be talking “redemption arc.”
For now, the Clemson quarterback finds himself in familiar territory — doubted, challenged, and ready to respond.