As we look to the 2025 NFL Draft, some teams will be looking for quarterback help, and others will be looking for developmental prospects to stash and eventually mold into starter-level quarterbacks. Enter Cade Klubnik. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Cade lead his high school (Westlake High School) to 3 consecutive state championships and was the starting QB for 2 of those title games.
His high school career saw him complete 70% of his passes for just over 7,400 yards, and an 86/7 Touchdown to Interception ratio. Of course, these impressive numbers lead to some major hardware in high school, including USA Today’s Offensive Player of the year in 2020 & 2021, and a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2021. Prior to committing to Clemson, he was ranked by Rivals.com as the #3 overall player in his class.
In his first year at Clemson, Cade’s QB talent still shined through, completing 61% of his passes for 697 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while also being named the ACC Championship Game MVP. As a full time starter in his second season, Cade saw a dip in his production, completing 63.8% of his passes for 2,844 yards, 19 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. However, he also used his legs a bit and added 182 yards and 4 touchdowns as well.
Since the production seems a little less than someone of his caliber should be producing, let’s dive into the tape to find out why:
Player Info
Name: Cade Klubnik
Jersey: No. 2
Position: Quarterback
School: Clemson
Class: Junior
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 210 lbs.
Strengths
Cade has a true gunslinger’s mentality: rifling passes into extremely tight windows with his amazing arm strength. He also has a lightning quick release as well, helping the ball fly out of his hands quickly. He flashes an innate ability to make throws when knocked off his platform in the pocket due to pressure, and also has the wheels to get away and make plays with his legs as well.
Weaknesses
That same ability to make off platform throws is also Cade’s biggest weakness: too often Cade is playing backyard football with the ball, throwing errant passes because his mechanics are out the window and he forces throws. He often seeks out the big play and the deep shot, rather than taking what the defense gives him.
Some of his anticipation throws can be hit or miss, as he sometimes doesn’t trust his reads in and out of the pocket, leading to throws high, low, and behind the intended target.
Draft Projection
Cade is very raw as a Quarterback prospect in my eyes. When watching his tape at Clemson, you see plays that just make your jaw hit the floor in terms of his arm strength and talent.
But flipping the coin, you see a lot of plays that make you shake your head in disappointment as to why he’d even attempt to make the throw he does. I currently have Cade as a day 3 prospect in the draft, as he’ll need to land with a team that can develop his touch/accuracy while also maximizing his current skill sets.
Teams that run heavy doses of play action and spread formations where Cade can also factor in his legs would be excellent fits here. Some teams who should be interested in Cade:
- Cleveland Browns (If the Browns wanted to take a day 3 flier on a kid like Cade, I wouldn’t be opposed. He fits KS offense in the heavy play action aspects, and Dorsey’s offense in the spread offense. He might see action earlier than he should, if the team chooses to move on from Watson next year.)
- Indianapolis Colts (With Flacco getting up there in age, and the benching of AR potentially signaling a shift in QB development for Indy, the colts should look at Klubnik as a potential development option for a backup QB with the ability to become a starter. He would fit right in Steichen’s offense.)
- Seattle Seahawks (I truly think this is Cade’s likely landing spot, as he would fit what Grubb wants to do at QB, and wouldn’t be forced into early action with Geno at the helm, but could develop slowly.)
Any team that selects Cade should temper their expectations, as he likely won’t see the field as a starter until at least year 3, pending his development. But the top level traits are there, and pending his landing spot, he could develop into a serviceable NFL Quarterback.
My Comparison for Cade Klubnik: John Skelton, Qb, Arizona Cardinals
