Get the full Cade Klubnik scouting report as Joe DeLeone and Ryan Roberts break down why the Clemson quarterback is already generating buzz as a potential first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They analyze his arm talent, mobility, decision-making, and leadership, offering expert insights into what makes Klubnik one of the most intriguing QB prospects in college football. If you're following the future of the NFL or scouting rising stars, this deep dive on Cade Klubnik is a must-watch.
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00:00Will Cade Clubnick be the first overall pick in 2026 or is he bound to be an early second
00:05rounder? We debate where the Clemson signal caller will land in this upcoming draft.
00:13Ryan, you and I are on completely different ends of the spectrum for how we view Clemson
00:18quarterback Cade Clubnick. Where do you stand on his projection for 2026?
00:22I think that he has a lot of parts of his game that I like and I think can be developed. But if we're
00:30projecting forward right now to be who will be the first quarterback taken or who will be that
00:36first overall pick, I would just personally in the summer, Joe, rather bet on traits like the
00:40Lenore Sellers of the world, that type of quarterback guys that have plus arm guy that are great athletes
00:47guys that have just kind of that those those skill sets that typically do rise in drafts.
00:54Clubnick could be a riser to a degree, but I do think that when you're looking at him,
00:58he's 6'2", maybe 210 pounds, good athlete, not a great athlete. Arm is good, not great. Like
01:05there's just nothing about him that says stellar to me. And I just thought that the tape last year
01:10from a game to game perspective was just a little bit up and down. So a player that has his athletic
01:14skill set and his toolbox, just in general, I think needs to be ultra consistent. And I did not
01:19think he was ultra consistent in 2024. I'm willing to stand on the table for Kate Clubnick. He is one
01:25of those guys. And I understand where you're coming from for some of those points. Then it's more
01:31specifically like, what does he do at an exemplary level? Like what is like the true thing that he
01:37dominates him? I think that he has a lot of well-roundedness that he brings to the quarterback
01:43position. And I think he does a lot of the things well, well above average on some of his best plays
01:50that NFL teams look for in quarterbacks. I'm talking about the mobility. I think that he is
01:54a little bit more than just a good athlete. I think that he was a threat as a runner. And when
01:58he decided to take off and run, he was able to pick up huge gains and be a huge threat for that
02:03offense. I thought he was able to throw in the run well and not lose much accuracy and also not lose
02:07much velocity on his throws. But where he might not be the rocket arm, rip the ball really deep down
02:15the field, the Cam Wards, the Josh Allens of the world. I think that what was special that we saw in
02:20glimpses were his ability to use touch, timing, and ball placement in some very difficult spot that
02:27created some really important plays in games where they needed to scratch a call to get back into. I think
02:32that the Texas game, albeit a bit up and down for Club Nick, we saw a number of throws on film where
02:37he is driving the ball and delivering it to his guys in super tight windows. And I think that there
02:42was a lot of inconsistency from the Clemson receivers this past year, even though it is a
02:47talented, underrated group. There were a couple of times where they dropped balls that were thrown in
02:52really good spots by him in order for them to make plays and come down in the football. I think that
02:57Clemson, we have a negative perception on what they are because the last couple of years have
03:04been underwhelming. And I think that Club Nick and the whole crew can really change that perception.
03:09Well, I do like, and on the positive side of things, that wide receiver room, I think is very
03:15good. Obviously with Antonio Williams, with TJ Moore, with Bryant Wesco, like I think that that wide
03:19receiver room has potentially be one of the best in college football. And I think the positive to
03:24Cape Club, Nick, and we talked about this before the show, is that you did see a jump, obviously,
03:29like he was a much better player in 2024 than he was in 2023. And in the game of Georgia,
03:34compared to his last game against Texas, completely different quarterback. So that gives you hope.
03:38But I do think that the one conversation point about development and another jump next year
03:44is that typically guys that can make multiple big jumps during their college careers are typically
03:49the super athletic guys, right? The guys that have this untapped potential and this upside where
03:55Cape Club is going to take a huge jump in 2025. If he does is from a mental side of things,
03:59right? His command of an offense. Is he able to grasp it at a higher level under Garrett Riley and
04:05become the best version of himself? It's possible, but it's also, I still, I just, I just need to see
04:10it at this point because we saw a lot of positive there, but the up and down nature of the season,
04:14I just think has me just kind of sitting back waiting and seeing if he does take that type of
04:19jump again. I will concede that his decision-making is not consistent enough for me to feel like really
04:25good about it. I think that he's decisive, which is an underrated race for quarterbacks and something
04:31that needs to be on the table for a player in order for them to be a first round pick. You need to
04:36think quickly. It was a big problem that I had with Jackson Dart is that he was not a quick decision
04:41maker or processor coming off of that initial read. He's willing to get the ball out quickly.
04:46He's got the arm talent to get the ball out quickly and deliver it to his guys, but the riskiness of
04:50some of those decisions did lead to almost turnovers and also a lot of bad turnovers. There are a lot
04:56of times where he was throwing the ball into some really tight windows that there really weren't
05:00windows. It was just multiple guys in coverage that he was tossing the ball up for free grabs for
05:06whoever wanted it. I do agree that that is a problem for him, but when we talk about quarterbacks
05:13and a conversation that we had on one of the film room mailbag shows that we've done is that multi-year
05:19starters are important for projecting guys in the first round. That experience and playing as much
05:25as he did in his third year now with Garrett Riley, I think is going to be even bigger for him making that
05:30improvement. Yeah. Well, I think that there is a letdown nature to a degree of some of these teams
05:35because Clemson has a lot of hype going into 2025 and I get it, right? Like I get it. I mentioned
05:41the wide receivers they had. Obviously you have clubbing it coming back. You have a very talented
05:44defensive line. You have a couple of corners. Like there's a lot to like about this Clemson team,
05:49but we have also seen some teams come in with a lot of hype and they don't live up to expectations.
05:55And I, this is a quarterback class that is so volatile right now. Like there's going to be some
06:00people that are Lenore Sellers fans. There's going to be some that are Cape Club Nick fans. There's going to be
06:04Garrett Nussmeyer people out there. There's even going to be, even though it's probably unlikely
06:08he enters, there's going to be Arch Manning people. And what do all those guys have in common,
06:12Joe? There's clearly talents in different levels, but there's still a jump that needs to happen.
06:19Is Cape Club Nick? The one that takes a jump is Lenore Sellers is Arch Manning. Like whoever it ends up
06:24being, there's going to be one or two guys that ends up taking jumps, but there's going to be others
06:28that are going to stagnate or they're going to regress in some areas. I'm just curious of which one
06:33Club Nick ends up being. Well, I'm sticking with Club Nick being that guy that does make that jump.
06:38He has everything around him flowing in the right direction and hopefully it does come to fruition.
06:43Folks, comment below. Do you think that Kate Club Nick could be the first overall pick in the
06:472026 draft? Do you think that he's going to go later in the first round or even later than that?
06:52Let us know below. Hit that like button and subscribe. We'll talk to you later.