The New York Jets have landed their potential quarterback of the future.
The New York Jets were hoping to land Dante Moore with the No. 2 overall pick of the NFL Draft, but Moore opted to stay at Oregon for another year.
That left the Jets in a tough spot going into the draft, as this year's quarterback class was very thin.
However, New York still managed to land an intriguing prospect in the fourth round on Saturday, nabbing Clemson star Cade Klubnik with the 110th overall pick.
Klubnik was viewed by many as a potential top-five pick heading into 2025, but a subpar final season at Clemson destroyed his draft stock.
The 22-year-old threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 65.6 percent of his passes this past season, adding four rushing scores.
So, what made Klubnik such a compelling prospect going into the season?
Well, in 2024, the Austin, Tx. native threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six picks while also racking up 463 yards and seven scores on the ground.
Cade Klubnik. Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images.Klubnik could have entered the draft last spring and probably would have been an early first-round pick, but he chose to return to school for one more season.
Obviously, that ended up being a major mistake on the part of Klubnik, as he his production plummeted and his stock did with it.
To be fair to Klubnik, though, Clemson as a whole was a massive disappointment in 2025. The Tigers went into the campaign with national championship aspirations and ended up going just 7-6, losing to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.
And based on what we saw from Klubnik in 2024, it's clear that he has NFL talent.
The Jets acquired Geno Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the offseason to serve as a stopgap for the 2026 campaign, and Smith will surely be the starting quarterback come Week 1.
However, if Klubnik puts together a strong training camp, he could ultimately unseat Smith as the starter midway through the year if things go awry for Smith.
Of course, next year's quarterback class is expected to be rife with talent, so New York is likely looking toward 2027, as well. But if Klubnik can show something for the Jets next fall, he might end up having a chance to become their franchise signal-caller.