There will always be a lot of liking around Cade Klubnik as he has the measurables, the pedigree, and the poise you look for in an NFL QB. What he doesn’t have right now is momentum. Clemson Tigers’ season-opening stumble against LSU highlighted every flaw under a bright spotlight, with Klubnik leading the Tigers to just 10 points. He only completed half his passes, and his QBR was a lowly 29.7. For a program used to smooth, high-octane starts, it was the kind of uneven performance that set alarm bells ringing—and they’ve only grown louder after Week 2.

The draft buzz reflects that volatility. Cade Klubnik is reportedly “all over the place” on NFL Draft boards. NFL Rookie Watch noted, “One AFC Scout reportedly believes Klubnik is a ‘day three’ prospect. While some still think he’s a Top-3 QB in the class.” That kind of split in evaluation doesn’t happen unless a player is both tantalizing and frustrating at the same time. The numbers bear it out: 19-for-38 with 230 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception against LSU, then 18-for-24 with two touchdowns and one pick against Troy. Efficiency improved in Week 2, but the QBRs—29.7 followed by 42.8—show just how far off he is from where a supposed No. 1 overall pick should be.

The Troy game was supposed to be a palate cleanser. Instead, it was a near-disaster. Clemson trailed 16-0 against a mid-major opponent before rallying with 27 unanswered. Sure, it became their largest comeback since the 2020 Boston College game, but nobody inside Death Valley was celebrating the way they would after a statement win. Klubnik’s pick-six to T.J. Thompson nearly buried the Tigers. Yes, it was tipped at the line, but it was still a high-risk throw into traffic in his own end zone—a mistake that feels more high school than NFL-ready.

It was a tale of two halves for Clemson, and that’s the real indictment. Against LSU, they got punched in the mouth and never answered. Against Troy, they sleepwalked through two quarters and required heroics to pull it out. That inconsistency is unacceptable for a program that recruits at an elite level and prides itself on championship DNA. And for Klubnik, who entered the year with expectations as high as any quarterback in the country, the scrutiny grows with each drive. A 3-2 TD-to-INT ratio after two games doesn’t scream “franchise cornerstone.”

Yet this isn’t a write-off. Cade Klubnik still shows flashes that remind scouts why he was once viewed as a lock to go early in the first round. His footwork, release, and ability to extend plays outside the pocket all project well. ESPN’s Jordan Reid even had him mocked as the No. 1 overall pick this past summer. The tools haven’t vanished, but the consistency has. What’s more telling is how he responds now—whether he grows sharper or spirals further into bad habits.

In many ways, this stretch may define his career trajectory. Quarterbacks are often judged less on their best throws than on how they respond to adversity, and right now, adversity is flooding Klubnik’s doorstep. The price of Clemson’s slow starts is heavy—his draft stock is wobbling, the spotlight is harsher, and every throw is being dissected.

ESPN analyst calls out Cade Klubnik’s struggles

The shine has dulled on Cade Klubnik, and few put it more bluntly than Reid. “Coming into the season, I was high on Klubnik as he showed a huge bump in his development throughout 2024. Based on the personnel and infrastructure in place at Clemson, there wasn’t a QB in the country who was better set up to succeed this year,” Reid said, pointing out how the Tigers had built the perfect environment for their quarterback to thrive. LSU, and then Troy, and suddenly the cracks were impossible to ignore.

Reid didn’t sugarcoat what he saw. “But after watching him live against LSU last week, I see issues when he faces pressure. He was also indecisive and took too long to make decisions within the framework of the offense. Those concerns popped up again this weekend against Troy.” That indecision, paired with turnovers and shaky rhythm, is why Clemson found itself trailing 16-0 to a Sun Belt program it should have buried early.

And scouts aren’t exactly rallying behind him, either. “In talking to scouts around the league, Klubnik (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) is polarizing as a prospect because he has a lot of solid/average traits but lacks a dominant one. You need that one superior skill to catapult to the front of this QB class, and it’s why his draft grades are all over the place with NFL evaluators.” The numbers back it up. Klubnik currently sits at No. 104 in ESPN’s QBR metric—next to last in the ACC, and the sixth-worst among all Power Five QBs. For someone mocked as a potential No. 1 pick, that’s a brutal freefall.