Saints target star Clemson Tigers QB with first overall pick in 2026 NFL mock draft
The New Orleans Saints are considered to be one of the worst teams in the NFL and a recent mock draft has them ending up with the first overall selection. Curt Popejoy over at Draft Wire had the Saints going with Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik with the first pick in his 2026 NFL mock draft.
At this time last year, it would be crazy to consider Klubnik with the first pick of a draft. He was a highly-touted prospect, but had been a bit disappointing since taking over the Tigers offense. A switch flipped last year, though, and he finished with 3,639 yards with a 63.4% completion rate and 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also used his legs more with 463 yards with seven more scores.
If he has another year like that, Klubnik will certainly be in the conversation. It’s a good sign that his mechanics and game processing have improved as he has all the tools to be successful. The other quarterbacks taken in the first round of this mock draft were South Carolina Gamecocks star LaNorris Sellers, LSU Tigers passer Garrett Nussmeier, Indiana Hoosiers breakout Fernando Mendoza and Penn State Nittany Lions senior Drew Allar. This is obviously assuming that Texas Longhorns standout and New Orleans native Arch Manning would be going back to school for his senior year and waiting until the 2027 NFL draft class to declare.
While there is an easy argument to be made that Klubnik is the best of the quarterbacks that did get taken, the Saints might end up waiting until 2027 to re-try under center. That’s not fully because of Manning, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt their decision making. New Orleans is clearly higher on Tyler Shough than most of the world and Kellen Moore seems to be a huge fan of what he can do on the field. There is a world where the Saints end up with the first pick and still end up giving Shough another shot before going for another passer.
As good as Klubnik can be, he hasn’t proven to be a quarterback prospect that is too good to pass up yet. There is still another season to go, though, so let’s see what he does as a senior.
