Cade Klubnik entered the 2025 college football season as a top quarterback prospect. He exits it with a mid-round projection in the 2026 NFL Draft and a list of teams interested in him as a developmental backup.
Why did his stock plummet over the last year, and when will he hear his name called?
Where Will Cade Klubnik Be Drafted? Day 3 Developmental Projection
PFSN’s lead NFL draft draft analyst Ian Cummings pegs Klubnik as a likely Day 3 selection with the talent to outperform the projection under the right circumstances.
“Cade Klubnik likely won’t come off the board until Day 3, but crazier things have happened: His 2024 film had some pondering Round 1 upside, myself included,” Cummings wrote. “At around 6’2″, 207 pounds, he’s not quite the prototypical talent, nor does he have quantifiably elite arm strength, but he’s still a dynamic athlete, creator, and off-platform presence with excellent arm elasticity and angle freedom, as well as tantalizing flashes of touch.”
Cummings named three specific landing spots.
“Teams like the Cardinals, Browns, and Dolphins could all potentially have eyes on Klubnik in the middle-to-late rounds as a developmental backup with platform and throwing angle variability.”
All three teams sidestepped quarterback in Round 1. Arizona used the No. 3 pick on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love rather than trade back for a passer. Cleveland, which held two first-round picks, used them on Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano at No. 9 and USC wide receiver KC Concepcion at No. 24.
Miami released Tua Tagovailoa in March and signed Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal as its presumed starter, but the room still has a developmental-backup vacancy behind him (especially since Quinn Ewers was selected by the previous regime). Each of those three situations has the opening Klubnik’s profile fits.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid had Klubnik at No. 1 overall in his May 2025 mock and compared him to Bo Nix. One year and a disappointing senior season later, the same evaluators have him as the fifth or sixth quarterback off the board in a class where only two went in Round 1 (Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders and Ty Simpson at No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams).
In PFSN’s Day 2 and 3 mock draft, NFL analyst Jacob Infante predicted Klubnik would land with the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 203 overall pick.
Cade Klubnik Scouting Report: Bo Nix Comp and Inconsistent Processing
Cummings’ ceiling comp ties back to what made Klubnik so compelling in 2024.
“At his best, he’s an electric point guard-style passer in the mold of Bo Nix, with dynamic athleticism, universal off-platform throwing ability, and endless arm angle freedom,” Cummings wrote.
The 2024 film backed the comparison. Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions, won ACC Championship Game MVP for the second time, and posted the 13th-best QBR in the nation.
As a senior, he regressed across the board. Klubnik finished 2025 with 2,750 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions per PFSN’s database. A 1-3 start that included a road loss at Georgia Tech knocked Clemson out of CFP contention by October. He recovered statistically down the stretch, posting an 89.6 Total QBR over a four-game midseason run, but the first-round evaluator consensus was already gone by then.
“His abundance of physical talent is marred by a lack of consistent post-snap discernment, field vision, and anticipation, and his situational accuracy took a step back in 2025,” Cummings wrote. The fit-based path is narrow. “Klubnik still holds mid-round appeal as an ideal backup in West Coast-style schemes, but he’s a developmental QB in the mental category, who might not get the development he needs at the next level.”
Klubnik’s 2025 PFSN CFB QB Impact grade was 79.2, a C+ that ranks 67th among 2025 quarterbacks and 331st all-time.
Cummings leaves the door cracked for Klubnik to still realize his full potential: “If he can expand on the flashes of leverage IQ and spatial awareness, he has starting upside.”
