The Jets took a flier on Cade Klubnik in the fourth round as a possible long-term option at quarterback. For now, the former Clemson star is competing for the backup job with Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook behind starter Geno Smith.
Smith and the rest of the starters will play in Friday night's preseason opener against the Bucs, but Klubnik is sure to see more snaps than Smith.
Klubnik started 40 games in four seasons at Clemson, so the lights aren't likely to be too bright or the stage too big.
“When the fire’s blazing, you have a little bit of a presence, kind of like I’ve been here before,” Klubnik said this week, via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press. “And obviously, the speed is different, all of that. But it’s still football. And being able to just have a lot of games under my belt has definitely helped. But it is a new level and everything’s faster, everything’s quicker. You’ve got to think faster pre-snap, post-snap. And that’s a transition, for sure.
“But I think that it definitely has helped me. I think just maybe I’ll step on the field and go play quarterback.”
It's the college experience that has him confident as he steps on an NFL field for the first time. He also knows he has "a long way to go" before he's ready to start a regular-season game.
“I think for me, you have to be confident stepping on the field,” Klubnik said. “And where the line is, I would also say that you have to be aware of where you’re at and humble enough to realize that I’m not where I want to be yet and I need to go get better.
“And I think that if you’re cocky, you’re realizing, ‘I’ve arrived.’ You are everything you’re going to be. But I’m not where I want to be at, you know?”