The Carolina Panthers have been linked to an interesting quarterback with Bryce Young's future still up in the air.
There is no doubt that Bryce Young had the best year of his career in 2025, leading the Carolina Panthers to an NFC South division title.
Young threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.6 percent of his passes this past season, showing considerable progress from his first two years in the NFL.
But while Young has gotten better and played well enough in 2025 to convince the Panthers to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, there is still no guarantee that the former No. 1 overall pick is Carolina's franchise quarterback.
For that reason, the Panthers are still surely exploring their options under center, and they could very well take a quarterback in the NFL Draft, especially after trading veteran backup Andy Dalton.
ESPN's Ben Solak has linked Carolina to Clemson star Cade Klubnik, naming Klubnik a match for the Panthers in the sixth round later this month.
Cade Klubnik. Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images."Klubnik would benefit from supersized receivers like Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker (a big slot), as they're able to win downfield with boxout positioning," Solak wrote. "He isn't a one-to-one style fit to Young, but having a backup who plays similarly to the starter is an overrated advantage. When Klubnik plays on time, he reminds me of Dalton, who didn't play much like Young anyway."
Heading into the 2025 college football season, Klubnik was viewed by many as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but his stock dropped like a rock thanks to a miserable senior campaign at Clemson.
Klubnik threw for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 65.6 percent of his passes during his final collegiate season, a major step back from his 2024 campaign when he totaled 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six picks.
It should also be noted that Klubnik rushed for 463 yards and seven scores in 2024. This past year, however, he didn't even log 100 yards on the ground.
Still, Klubnik showed enough during his junior season to make him a rather compelling prospect going into the draft, and at the very least, he could potentially put some pressure on Young moving forward.
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