With the 2025 college football season finally in the books, it’s time to see where the Clemson Tigers’ top players from last season could land in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Head coach Dabo Swinney is projected to have multiple players selected throughout the three-day event, but for the first time since Trevor Lawrence in 2021, the Tigers will have a quarterback enter the draft in Cade Klubnik.

Despite this added attention, Klubnik is already off to an impressive start, as he is beginning to separate himself from the rest of his peers at the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl.

On Friday, Steelers writer Alan Saunders discussed Klubnik’s first day at practice, claiming that he is “by far the best quarterback prospect” at the Shrine Bowl.

“Cade Klubnik is by far the best quarterback prospect of the eight in Frisco, and it shows, not only in his passing, but in the way he carries himself,” Saunders wrote after day one. “Honestly, Klubnik fired a few high today when he was putting some ‘oomph’ behind his passes, although he still looked the best of anyone in the building.”

This year's Shrine Bowl includes multiple highly-touted NFL quarterback prospects, with Louisville’s Miller Moss, Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, and Klubnik highlighting the bunch. However, the former Tigers’ standout continues to shine due to his command of the offense, as Saunders also stated in his article.

After leading his squad to the 2024 College Football Playoffs, Klubnik experienced a regression in his statistics this past season, similar to the rest of the Clemson team. Still, the former star quarterback managed to throw for 2,943 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025, along with completing a career-best 65.6 percent of his pass attempts.

In addition to his ability to create through the air, Klubnik has also proven to be a dual-threat throughout his career with the Tigers, totaling 878 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in four seasons.

Klubnik also got the chance to speak to the media following the conclusion of practice on Friday, and when asked about how practicing against Clemson’s stout defense has prepared him for the next level, he gave high praise to his fellow teammates, including Will Heldt, TJ Parker, and Peter Woods.

“I think, being able to practice against those guys definitely made me better and truly learn to trust my offensive line,” Klubnik told reporters. “And honestly, seeing their work ethic, they pushed me to be better, and the way they went through summer and spring workouts, and the way they approach the season, and seeing their habits. I lived with Will [Heldt], he lives like a pro, and I know TJ [Parker] and Peter [Woods] did too."

Depending on how well Klubnik performs at the Shrine Bowl and the 2026 NFL Combine, the longtime Clemson starter could see his draft stock grow before the 2026 NFL Draft. As of now, Klubnik is projected to be a late day two, early day three pick.

Luckily, this year’s draft class lacks quarterbacks, as Oregon’s Dante Moore and many other players decided to return to college. This will give him an advantage over some of the other prospects this year, thanks to his effectiveness in both the pass and run game on offense.

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