Cole Payton

The Player

Payton is as unique a prospect as you’ll find in this class. He’s a left-handed quarterback who’s built like a big running back and essentially served as one for the majority of his career. He was a five-year player at FCS NDSU but only a one-year starter, and attempted just 291 passes during his entire career. But he was one of the standout players at the Senior Bowl (playing just weeks after undergoing thumb surgery on his throwing hand).

Payton was NDSU’s no. 2 quarterback from 2022 to 2024 and was used as a ballcarrier in certain situations. He finished those three seasons with 143 carries for 1,064 yards and 16 scores in 36 games before suffering a season-ending torn labrum (non-throwing shoulder) late in 2024. As the full-time starting QB in 2025, he completed 71 percent of just 231 passes with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 777 yards on 136 carries with 13 scores.

Payton has a strong, sturdy frame and massive hand span. His mechanics don’t always look traditional, but the more I watch of him the more I realize how efficient he is with his ball placement. It’s the strangest thing—he continually hits his spots and fits the ball into some really tight windows. He can operate from inside the pocket; he gets the ball out on time when everything’s in rhythm and he’s capable of working through his progressions quickly. He also shows an ability to layer it over coverage beautifully. And he’s really effective throwing off-platform and under duress.

He has an awkward shot-put-style delivery and exhibits some upper-body tightness. Still, he has a compact and quick release and gets really good zip on his intermediate throws. He also shows good energy on his sideline throws. As for the deep ball, he doesn’t drive it at an elite level but he has enough juice to attack vertically when he’s on time. 

He faced a steep learning curve in his one year as a starter, holding on to the ball too long at times and taking too many sacks. But his mobility is elite and it shined in an RPO-heavy offense. He’s not the twitchiest of athletes but he has a really nice burst when he commits and shows excellent vision as a ballcarrier with impressive contact balance. He has a real knack for finding the right crease in short-yardage/goal-line situations.

Here’s one interesting analytical nugget, courtesy of PFF: Payton joined Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Joe Burrow as the only quarterbacks since 2023 to deliver the following three statistics in their best college season: 

1. A big-time throw rate from a clean pocket greater than 8 percent

2. Less than 1.5 percent of turnover-worthy plays from a clean pocket

3. A big-time throw rate greater than 7 percent when blitzed

The Draft

NFL teams are intrigued by Payton, more so than folks in the media seem to recognize. I have him as the third-best QB prospect in the 2026 draft class behind only Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson. It’s more likely than not that Payton’s name is called on night two of the draft.

The Projection

Payton will draw comparisons to Taysom Hill because of his mobility and the way he was used early in his career. But that’s not the best comp, given Payton’s exponentially higher ceiling at the quarterback position. Some NFL teams believe Payton might have the highest upside of any quarterback in this class. Those teams view his development and value through a two-phased lens. Phase 1 is to get value out of Payton in short-yardage and goal-line packages early in his career. And if developed properly during the first phase, Phase 2 is to let him compete for the starting job a couple of years down the road.