The New Orleans Saints will be entering a massive rebuild during the 2025 NFL season. Kellen Moore is the head coach after being the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator during the 2024 NFL season.
Derek Carr retired after he was dealing with shoulder injury issues and this has New Orleans in a bad spot entering the 2025 season. Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler will be the starting quarterback for the Saints in 2025. There is a chance that New Orleans could be the worst team in the NFL and land the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If they were to land the number one pick, there is a chance that they would have a golden chance to find its next Drew Brees potentially and could it be Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik?
New Orleans Saints Select Clemson Tigers Quarterback Cade Klubnik In Latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Pro Football Focus writer Mark Stolte created his latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft despite the 2025 NFL season not even beginning yet. Stolte thinks that the Saints will have the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and select Klubnik from Clemson.
It would be a surprise to see the Saints not have the worst record in the NFL in 2025, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see New Orleans draft a quarterback in 2026. It would be a surprise if Shough or Rattler impressed them during the 2025 NFL season. Stolte said about the Saints drafting Klubnik potentially,
“The college football world has high expectations for Cade Klubnik with Clemson expected to dominate in 2025. While I personally have Klubnik as the fourth-ranked ranked QB in the class, it would be very easy for him to shoot up. His accuracy and play-making are solid and he has all the tools, he just needs to put it together with his decision-making on a more consistent basis.
He ranked 43rd in adjusted completion percentage, and showed some really solid tools outside the pocket. Unfortunately, he took the fifth-most sacks outside the pocket in the FBS in 2024 with 13. With that being said, it’s hard to deny the talent.
The New Orleans Saints hired Doug Nussmeier as offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. Since 2020, he has worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles.
These three quarterbacks aren’t particularly close in playing-style which gives me confidence that Nussmeier can coach up Klubnik and help speed up his development.”
Whether it is Klubnik or someone else, if the Saints were to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, they are thinking about him being the Week 1 starter in 2026 and beyond. During the 2024 season with Clemson, Klubnik completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He is 6’2″ and weighs 210 lbs.
There is a chance that he could be the number one quarterback off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many things can change between now and the 2026 NFL Draft. Will the Saints not be as bad as people think they will be? Will Klubnik not be as good as people think he will be?
It remains to be seen what will transpire. Well, if Klubnik has the Tigers on the verge of another national title under head coach Dabo Swinney, he will be the top quarterback taken in the 2026 NFL Draft whether it is the Saints or not.
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