Cade Klubnik
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The Browns have been predicted to select Cade Klubnik in the 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is about to get underway for dozens of potential NFL Draft prospects. This is the time when college football players can raise their stock in front of NFL coaches and executives.
The jury is still out on what this draft class holds for quarterbacks. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who is projected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in April. Now, certainly, things can change between now and then. However, it would be surprising if the Raiders traded that pick or used it on someone else.
One player who was once considered a first-round draft pick was Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. Going into the 2025 season, his draft stock was high, but it appears that his stock is slipping ahead of the NFL Combine this week.
Clemson Quarterback Cade Klubnik Gets Concerning NFL Draft Warning
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report listed some NFL Draft prospects who have seen their draft stock rise and fall going into the NFL Combine, and Klubnik is one player whose stock is heading in the wrong direction.
“Cade Klubnik was widely considered a first-round projection prior to the start of the ’25 campaign. During the prior season, Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards, ran for 463 more, and contributed 43 total touchdowns, while leading the Tigers to the College Football Playoff,” wrote Sobleski.
In 2025, Klubnik threw for 2,943 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for just 94 yards and four touchdowns. He was injured in a game at Boston College in the second half of a 41-10 Tigers victory in October. That kept him out of action for almost a month. Those numbers seemed to have hurt his stock a bit.
“Klubnik was counted among a group of quarterbacks, potentially a half-dozen or so, that could all find their way into the opening frame. Six months later, only one quarterback, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, is considered a first-round lock, while Klubnik is now considered a Day 3 option by the B/R Scouting Department and barely squeezed into the site’s latest Top 125,” Sobleski added.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik Needs a Strong NFL Combine
The good news for Klubnik is that he appears to be healthy. He’ll need to be at the NFL Combine. Mike Renner of CBS Sports has Klubnik as the fifth-ranked signal caller in this class. Sobleski sees Klubnik as more of a work in progress after he gets drafted by a team.
“Clemson’s three-year starter should be viewed as a project with significant upside more than a polished product ready to step in after being a high-round selection,” wrote Sobleski.
Klubnik is certainly someone a team will take a chance on, but maybe not until Day 3 of the NFL Draft. A lot of players who did not play on a College Football Playoff team backed out of their team’s bowl games. Klubnik didn’t and played one last time for head coach Dabo Swinney.
Klubnik struggled in the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State. He threw for 193 yards on 22-for-39 passing. He was sacked four times by the Nittany Lions in the 22-10 loss. Maybe that is what teams last remember from him in 2025. He has a chance to change some teams’ opinions at the combine this week.