Cade Klubnik Scouting Report

Cade Klubnik is a potent and electric passer with great upside if he can become more reliable and consistent.

Draft Grade: Round 3 - Adequate Starter

Strengths:

Elite, Natural Arm: Klubnik possesses rare natural ability to produce velocity, touch, and accuracy solely from his arm. It allows him to make off-platform passes look easy. Can make every throw.

Toughness: Doesn’t get rattled by big hits and shows real fight when the game gets tough. Has a senseless desire to compete.

Electric Speed: Very difficult to account for when you give him an open lane. Lacks some fluidity, but will beat you in a foot race.

Can Heat Up: When things start clicking, Klubnik can get clinical and potent quickly. When he’s confident and playing with calm feet, he can really deal.

Concerns:

Consistency: There are lots of highs and lows when going through Klubnik's full body of work. I want to see more neutrality from his game throughout a season. 

Footwork: Doesn’t consistently show strong footwork in the pocket or to set up throws. He’s all arm too often.

Composure: Gets squirrly in the pocket and panics when he senses pressure—leads to disaster.

Cade Klubnik Summary/Projection:

Cade Klubnik enters the 2026 NFL Draft after establishing himself as Clemson’s definitive signal-caller across three seasons of high-level play. A native of Austin, Texas, and standout at powerhouse Westlake High School, Klubnik made an early mark by coming off the bench in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, earning MVP honors and leading Clemson to a commanding victory. In 2023, he started every game, finishing with 2,844 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and four rushing scores. He followed that with a breakout 2024 season, throwing for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six interceptions, while also adding 463 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. After years of dominating both Texas high school football and the ACC, Klubnik enters the draft as one of the top quarterback prospects in the class.

Klubnik presents an intriguing evaluation. His career has been a roller coaster, flashing brilliance at times (notably lighting it up against Drake Maye’s UNC team in 2022), while struggling mightily in other moments, particularly against SEC competition. On paper, he checks a lot of NFL boxes. He has an impressive arm, a quick, efficient release, and the ability to generate both touch and velocity at all three levels. He throws with anticipation, places deep balls over the shoulder with precision, and consistently delivers from hash to sideline. Klubnik can throw off-platform, on the run, and from multiple arm angles—highlighting his natural passing talent.

As a runner, Klubnik is an electric athlete. He’s explosive in space, showing the burst to reach top speed quickly and rip off chunk yardage on scrambles. While he’s not especially fluid and won’t often make defenders miss in tight quarters, he’s a capable runner who adds real value with his legs. He does need to improve his awareness and self-preservation as a ball-carrier, but he’s proven to be tough and durable, consistently bouncing back from big hits without missing time.

Physically and athletically, Klubnik has as much natural ability as any passer in this class, but he’s held back by his inconsistency. His play fluctuates with the emotion and momentum of the game. He can go from elite-level throws to totally erratic reps within a single drive. His footwork is a major issue, often breaking down under pressure or when he's out of rhythm, forcing him to rely too heavily on arm strength and torque, which leads to missed or late throws. He bails from clean pockets too often, frequently rolling right and shortening the field unnecessarily. His poise under pressure is inconsistent—he can look panicked when defenses speed him up.

That said, there are stretches where the game visibly slows down for him. When Klubnik is in rhythm, calm in his base, and mentally locked in, he looks like a high-level NFL starter. He can heat up quickly and carve up defenses, stringing together throws that few quarterbacks in the country can make. If he can ever find a way to sustain those moments—playing with consistent mental clarity and mechanical discipline—he could blossom into something special.

Right now, Klubnik projects best as a high-end developmental backup with the upside to eventually become a starter. His physical tools and competitive toughness are NFL-caliber. The question is whether he can mature his game, settle his mechanics, and develop the processing and poise required to lead an NFL offense consistently.