{"id":862179,"date":"2026-04-09T08:39:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862179\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:39:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:39:27","slug":"espn-links-ideal-backup-qb-fit-for-the-panthers-in-the-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862179\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN links ideal backup QB fit for the Panthers in the 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Carolina Panthers have been active ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft meeting with various quarterback prospects to be the long-term backup to Bryce Young and the ideal fit according to ESPN\u2019s Ben Solak is in the team\u2019s backyard.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Feb
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (QB10) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJacob Musselman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Carolina Panthers have been active when it comes to scouting out backup quarterback options in the 2026 NFL Draft to be the long-term option behind Bryce Young<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carolina\u2019s quarterback room got an overhaul this offseason when the team traded away veteran backup Andy Dalton and replaced him with former first-round pick Kenny Pickett on a one-year deal. Given Pickett\u2019s contract and desire to be a starter again in the NFL<\/a>, he\u2019s not a long-term option and the Panthers are smart by looking into rookie options.<\/p>\n

This week alone, the Panthers are expected to bring in Vanderbilt\u2019s Diego Pavia<\/a> and Georgia Tech\u2019s Haynes King<\/a> for a 30 visit. And that\u2019s just two confirmed QB names scheduled to meet with the Panthers.<\/p>\n

The team will have their eye on other potential options as well ahead of the draft and ESPN\u2019s Ben Solak believes the ideal fit is sitting right in the Panthers\u2019 backyard.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Ben Solak links the Panthers to Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik in the sixth-round<\/p>\n

Klubnik is an intriguing backup option for the Panthers and one I considered earlier in the pre-draft process<\/a>. He\u2019s not quite as mobile as Pavia or Haynes, a quality general manager Dan Morgan said he\u2019s looking to add to the position (although he did have a nice 40-time at the Clemson Pro Day). However, Klubnik is a similar player to what the Panthers had in Dalton with traits that work well in Dave Canales\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Klubnik plays on time, he reminds me of Dalton, who didn\u2019t play much like Young anyway,\u201d Solak explained<\/a>. \u201cStruggles with timing and anticipation have marred Klubnik\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Panthers indeed go this route and add the local talent to the quarterback room, the team would also be breaking a franchise-long trend in the process. The Panthers have never drafted a player out of Clemson (although multiple Clemson products have eventually found their way to Carolina such as Isaiah Simmons and Hunter Renfrow). <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say the Panthers are against drafting former Tigers or have issues with prospects coming out of Clemson, just a fun draft nugget to mention. Drafting the former Clemson standout would appeal to the local fanbase in South Carolina, though.<\/p>\n

Overall, it just goes to show how multiple options are viable backup candidates for the Panthers. The closer we get to the draft, the more likely it seems that the Panthers will add a new quarterback for the staff to develop, ideally on Day 3. Klubnik is certainly one of the names to watch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Nov\t\t<\/p>\n

Carolina Panthers News<\/p>\n

The Carolina Panthers are slated to have a pre-draft visit with Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor and here\u2019s why it doesn\u2019t make much sense based on everything head coach Dave Canales has said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Carolina Panthers have been active ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft meeting with various quarterback prospects to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[10122,5385,235,260,116952,2584,2567,3838,7,6,236],"class_list":{"0":"post-862179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-andy-dalton","9":"tag-cade-klubnik","10":"tag-carolina","11":"tag-carolina-panthers","12":"tag-carolina-panthers-nfl-draft","13":"tag-carolina-panthers-news","14":"tag-carolinapanthers","15":"tag-dave-canales","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-panthers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116373853324702637","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}