The Carolina Panthers traded Andy Dalton to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, leaving just Kenny Pickett behind franchise quarterback Bryce Young.
Pickett signed a one-year deal with aspirations of starting elsewhere, making him a bridge rather than a long-term solution. ESPN’s Ben Solak believes the Panthers should take a sixth-round flyer on Clemson’s Cade Klubnik to fill that void.
Why Cade Klubnik Makes Sense for The Panthers
Klubnik, a former five-star recruit who played his college ball at Clemson, fits that profile. At 6’2″ and 207 pounds, he offers more size than Young while providing legitimate dual-threat ability that Dalton never possessed.
Over 49 games at Clemson across four years, he accounted for 90 combined touchdowns (73 passing, 17 rushing) while completing 64% of his throws for 10,123 career yards. His breakout season in 2024 saw him throw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns, with just 6 interceptions.
However, his 2025 campaign disappointed relative to those lofty expectations. Klubnik completed 65.6% of his passes for 2,943 yards and 16 touchdowns in 12 starts. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, last season, he ranked 67th among quarterbacks in college football with an impact score of 79.2. In comparison, he had an impact score of 82.1 and ranked 9th in 2024.
The regression explains why he’s projected as a late-round pick rather than a Day 2 selection. Solak projected the Panthers to use the 200th overall pick on the Clemson product in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“The Panthers traded away their longtime QB2 and valuable spot starter Andy Dalton this past offseason, leaving only Kenny Pickett behind Bryce Young,” Solak wrote. “As such, I could see them adding a QB2 candidate much earlier than the sixth round. But I’ll stick with the late-drafted, (relatively) local kid in Clemson product Klubnik.”
“When Klubnik plays on time, he reminds me of Dalton, who didn’t play much like Young anyway,” Solak added. “Struggles with timing and anticipation have marred Klubnik’s film at times, but coach Dave Canales has historically succeeded at getting quarterbacks (Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield) to play a quicker brand of football. The marriage could work for Klubnik as a rookie contract backup.”
The concerns around Klubnik center on consistency, as his timing and anticipation lapses have plagued his tape. But Solak argues head coach Dave Canales could prove the perfect fit.
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Canales transformed Smith from a journeyman into a Pro Bowler in Seattle and helped Mayfield resurrect his career in Tampa Bay. If Klubnik lands with the 200th pick, Carolina gets a cheap developmental option with starting upside if Young falters. Given Pickett’s contract situation, that insurance policy makes the gamble worthwhile.
Klubnik is currently the 169th-ranked prospect on PFSN and has an average draft position of 211.2 on PFSN’s Mock Draft Simulator, which puts him in a position to be a sixth-round selection.