It’s crazy how much one year can change everything. When the 2024 college football season comes to a close, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik is viewed as one of the top prospects eligible to enter the NFL Draft. He ended up staying and became one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. However, Clemson has struggled this season with a 7-6 record, and his performance reflects the team’s success.
How will this season affect his draft career? Let’s talk about it.
advertise
Klubnick is a former five-star recruit out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, and is the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2022 class. He won three straight state championships and became one of the best quarterbacks the school has ever produced. He never lost a game as a starter, compiling a 27-0 record with a TD/INT ratio of 86/7. He also scored 31 times on the ground. He played in the 2021 Elite 11 and won MVP before committing to Clemson. While at Clemson, he threw for 10,123 yards, a touchdown/score ratio of 73/24, and a completion rate of 64.3%.
One of the highlights of Cade Krubnik’s game is his throwing motion. It’s compact, features a quick release, and stays put. He has a shortstop-style arm and can control the arm angle to accommodate passes in tight windows. He displays accurate delivery in the first and second level of midfield, but can also put the ball in the bucket on long passes. He never gets overwhelmed in the pocket and most of the time he knows where his escape spots are. If he plays at the NFL combine, he should put up a pretty good grade, I’d guess in the 4.6-4.7 range.
Krubnick struggled to make progress in reading. Once he marries his first reading, he starts scrambling. These issues can lead to unnecessary dismissal. While he has great accuracy on deep passes, the concern is whether he can push the ball downfield. Upper body mechanics aren’t an issue, but his footwork can become shaky if he’s pressured early. For a quarterback, you want him to be able to make pre-adjustments in protection, but Klubny never really seemed to develop that skill. Some things can be taught and some things are innate, this is the former.
Cade Klubnik was invited to the Shrine Bowl and was easily the best quarterback there. His overall performance will be crucial to his rise on draft boards. Now he is sitting in a fifth round gradeas he could easily be a quality backup for a fringe starter. However, he may also go in the opposite direction due to some issues in his game.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
