ESPN assessed the expectations, fits and roles for every quarterback who was selected in the 2026 NFL Draft – including Clemson’s Cade Klubnik.

Klubnik was considered a potential first-round pick during his career at Clemson, especially in the offseason prior to his senior season. Unfortunately, his final college campaign in 2025 did not go as planned, as the Tigers as a team had a highly disappointing 7-6 record, and Klubnik himself saw his numbers fall off compared to his stellar 2024 campaign.

As a result, Klubnik ended up being the fifth quarterback taken off the board in this year’s draft, going to the New York Jets in the fourth round with the 110th overall pick – the 10th pick of Round 4.

The Jets traded up to get Klubnik, dealing away two fourth-round picks (Nos. 128 and 140) to the Cincinnati Bengals in order to move up 18 spots and grab him.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid weighed in on why Klubnik fits in New York.

“Klubnik entered the 2025 season with high hopes but had a disappointing senior season,” Reid wrote. “He’s a streaky passer whose performances are based heavily on how fast he starts games. When protected, Klubnik is a steady distributor who makes consistent throws to all levels, but his game breaks down into erratic, head-scratching decisions when unsettled. The Jets have a lot around him, with young bookend tackles (Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu), along with skill position threats such as RB Breece Hall, WRs Garrett Wilson and Omar Cooper Jr. and TEs Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor. There’s more than enough for Klubnik to excel in Frank Reich’s offense.”

Klubnik is now part of a Jets QB room that also includes Geno Smith, Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe. Klubnik will jockey for position on the depth chart behind Smith, who was named the starter by Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

ESPN reporter Rich Cimini, who covers the Jets, gave his take on when Klubnik could get on the field for the team.

“Without a proven backup on the roster, Klubnik will share backup reps this offseason and has the opportunity to make a move,” Cimini wrote. “The Jets want to give him as much work as possible, with coach Aaron Glenn saying ‘we want to push the envelope with that player.’ In all likelihood, Klubnik will make the 53 as the QB3 behind Geno Smith and either Brady Cook, Bailey Zappe or maybe a yet-to-be-added veteran. But if he’s on the field this season, that means something went terribly wrong for the Jets.”

Last season, Klubnik battled various ailments including ankle and wrist injuries. After passing for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions while leading Clemson to an ACC title and appearance in the College Football Playoff during his junior season in 2024, Klubnik threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six picks in 2025.

Klubnik says he’s “thankful” for the adversity he faced last season, and that it prepared him better for the NFL than a perfect season would have.

“For me, I think that I really learned how to truly face adversity and just attack it,” Klubnik said. “Because of that, I’m really thankful. If I would have gone and had the exact year that I dreamed and worked for, I don’t think I’d be prepared as much as I am now because I learned really how to face that adversity and get up every single day even though the end goal that I was chasing originally wasn’t there anymore. It’s tough and it was really hard to go through, but I’m really thankful that it happened.”

Though his senior season didn’t go the way he had hoped, Klubnik still finished his time in Tigertown with one of the more productive careers in Clemson history.

A two-time ACC Championship Game MVP, Klubnik exited Clemson as the school-record-holder in pass completions (916) and pass attempts (1,432), third in passing yards (10,123), fourth in passing touchdowns (73), total touchdown responsibility (90) and total offense (11,001). He also joined Rodney Williams (44), Tajh Boyd (40), Nealon Greene (40) and Charlie Whitehurst (40) as the fifth quarterback in Clemson history to start at least 40 career games at quarterback. Klubnik posted a 26-14 record as a starter, concluding his career fifth in wins by a starting quarterback in school history.