Coming into the 2025 season, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik had a lot of hype around him as a Heisman Trophy candidate and a potential first-round quarterback in next year’s NFL Draft. Multiple analysts even projected him to be the No. 1 overall pick.
Things are much different now, as Klubnik’s draft stock is falling due to his struggles at the start of the season.
ESPN analyst and former college/Arena football quarterback Tom Luginbill believes Klubnik won’t be selected in the first round, but instead somewhere in the third to fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The bottom line is, and this is the reality of the situation – Cade Klubnik is not a first-round draft choice at quarterback. Cade Klubnik is probably a third- to fifth-round draft choice at quarterback,” Luginbill said in an episode of ESPN’s College Football Live.
“And a lot of people would say, ‘Oh you’re out of your mind.’ OK, well, all I know is with that ability around him, and that returning level of production, he should be producing at a much higher level than he is.”
Over the first three games this season, Klubnik has completed 52-of-88 passes for 633 yards with three touchdown passes and three interceptions. The senior has also rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Klubnik currently ranks 94th nationally in completion percentage (59.1), 61st in passing yards, tied for 74th in yards/attempt (7.2), tied for 83rd in passing touchdowns, 92nd in passer rating (123.9) and 66th in passing yards per game (211.0).
“For whatever reason, Cade Klubnik has regressed,” Luginbill said. “This almost looks like the 2023 Clemson offense. He’s hesitant. He’s indecisive. He doesn’t look like he’s trusting what he’s seeing. He’s been sloppy with the football. The urgency that he showed, the ability to get the ball out of his hand and anticipate a year ago and throw guys open and throw guys before they’re coming out of their breaks, was exactly what everybody was hoping they’d see from Cade Klubnik when he arrived out of high school, and you saw that last year. That’s why everybody was so excited.”