NFL Draft: Jets trade up to take Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik in the fourth round

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The 2027 NFL Draft will be when the Jets go big-game quarterback hunting with three first-round picks. But they needed to add a young arm to the room this year and see if they could develop him.

They did in the fourth round, trading up to take Clemson senior quarterback Cade Klubnik.

The Jets acquired picks 110 and 199 in the sixth round from the Bengals for fourth-round picks 128 and 140. They used No. 110 to take Klubnik and added him to a quarterback room that is under construction.

Geno Smith will be the starting quarterback in coordinator Frank Reich’s offense, but there is no clear backup. The other quarterbacks on the roster are Brady Cook, Bailey Zappe and now Klubnik, who played inconsistently for Clemson.

“I'm excited to get in that room and go to work,” Klubnik said. “I already told Coach Reich send me the playbook tonight. I’m excited to go to work and excited to go show everybody who Cade Klubnik is. I think my best ball's ahead of me.”

The 6-2, 207-pound Klubnik was the fifth quarterback taken in the draft, but few had him rated that high. A three-year starter at Clemson, Klubnik had some great moments, but he also admitted to having “ups and downs.”

Klubnik completed 64% of his passes for 10,123 yards, 73 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions in his four seasons and won two ACC Championship Game MVPs. After throwing 36 touchdown passes as a junior, Klubnik’s production dipped dramatically as a senior. He threw only 16 touchdown passes

Jets general manager Darren Mougey said they had “good grades” on Klubnik going into this year and came away impressed from his workout and meetings with him.

“We felt really good about Cade, a young player that has a lot of experience,” Mougey said. “A three-year starter at Clemson, won a lot of games there. Unfortunately, he had a down year this year, but still young, athletic with some upside and feel really good about being able to get him."

Klubnik said “a lot of little things” went wrong, but he was proud he led Clemson to four straight wins to end the year after starting 3-5.

“I really faced a lot of adversity this past year,” Klubnik said. “For me, I figured out how to take a team that's not winning and transform it and go win games to finish with four straight wins at the end of the year. I'm all about pushing the guys around me. and I'm a winner and I'm a competitor and I hate to lose. So if we're if we're not winning, we're going to find a way to win.”

Klubnik said he had good meetings with the Jets' coaching staff and he “clicked well with them.”

He said he woke up Saturday hoping that the Jets would draft him. Klubnik got his wish. The Jets got their young quarterback to help holds things down this season.

Next year’s draft class will be more talented and deeper. The Jets could have their pick of Texas’ Arch Manning, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Oregon’s Dante Moore, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss.

Other Day 3 Picks

The Jets drafted massive 6-5, 315-pound Florida State defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. in the fourth round (No. 103).

They traded up in the sixth round and took imposing 6-6, 340-pound right guard Anez Cooper from Miami with the No. 188 selection. The Jets acquired 188 from Seattle for No. 199 (sixth round) and 242 (seventh round).

Kansas State safety VJ Payne was the Jets’ final pick, No. 228 in the seventh round. He had 207 tackles and four interceptions in four seasons.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.