Jets Believe Fourth Round Pick Cade Klubnik Has ‘High Upside’

by Sam LanierApril 29, 2026, 1:46 am >

The New York Jets were expected to select a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft, but it was unclear which one until they selected Clemson’s Cade Klubnik in the fourth round.

The Jets showed how much they wanted Klubnik by trading up 18 spots to select him, sending a pair of fourth-round picks to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Klubnik had an up-and-down career at Clemson, going 26-14 as a starter, his best season coming in 2024 when he led the Tigers to an ACC Championship.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey said that he “felt really good about Cade.”

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“It started, obviously, last year, evaluating all those quarterbacks going into this year. We had good grades on Cade going in this year, and then, you’re watching this year, he got hurt early, and was playing hurt much of the year, and that team kind of struggled, but was excited to get around him at the combine.”

“Had a great combine interview, which kind of sparked us to want to get down to Clemson and work him out and spend some more time within, and we went down there, and again, it was a great exposure. Being there on campus with him in the room, talking about ball, felt very natural. Felt like there was a connection there. Getting on the field, doing the workout, showed well. So felt really good about Cade, a young player that has a lot of experience, you know, played a lot of snaps in high school, 30-0 record in Texas, went to Clemson as a young, I think, 17-year-old, three-year starter at Clemson won a lot of games there. Unfortunately, had a down year this year, but still, young, athletic with some upside, and feel really good about being able to get him.”

Klubnik was the fifth quarterback to be selected behind Fernando Mendoza (1), Ty Simpson (13), Carson Beck (65), and Drew Allar (76).

The Jets brought in veteran Geno Smith to be the starter, but Klubnik will compete with Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe for the team’s backup role.