Cole Payton was one of the best players in the FCS during the 2025 season, and his scouting report looks at his top strengths, weaknesses, and NFL projection.
Cole Payton 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Measurables:
Height- 6’3″
Weight- 232 lbs
Background:
Payton attended Westside High School in Omaha, Neb., where he was named Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. He committed to North Dakota State and redshirted his first season with the team. In the 2022 season, Payton ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s No. 2 quarterback. In the 2023 season, as the team’s No. 2 quarterback once again, Payton ran for a team-leading 13 touchdowns and finished third on the team in rushing yards with 615. Payton became the team’s full-time starter during the 2025 season and helped North Dakota State win the Missouri Valley Football Conference and finish the season with a 12-1 record. He was a Walter Payton Award finalist and earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second Team honors.
Strengths:
Payton is an athletic quarterback with good size for the position at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds with a strong frame. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash time at the combine with a 1.57-second 10-yard split, and recorded an elite 9.87 relative athletic score. Payton had two seasons of 600-plus rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, and he finished his college career with 1,919 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. As a runner, he has good acceleration and speed as well as great power and contact balance. Payton can effectively scramble to pick up yards on the ground and is effective on designed QB run plays.
He was very productive in his one season as a full-time starter for North Dakota State, completing 72% of his passes and averaging 12.1 yards per pass attempt. As a passer, he does a decent job at taking care of the football and had just a 1.5% turnover-worthy play rate from a clean pocket in 2025, according to PFF. He also has good touch on his passes and has good deep ball accuracy. Payton stays calm under pressure and has out-of-structure playmaking ability.
Weaknesses:
Payton played on a team with an extremely strong supporting cast at the FCS level, and he has just one year of starting experience and 283 total career pass attempts. He has inconsistent throwing mechanics with a bit of an elongated release. Payton can hold on to the ball for too long and occasionally takes some unnecessary sacks. Payton also tends to stare down reads and needs to improve his ability to read the defense and go through progressions.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Payton is an FCS quarterback with just one year of starting experience. He also needs to improve his mechanics and ability to read the defense, but Payton has potential at the next level. Payton is an extremely athletic quarterback with good size and is one of the best running quarterbacks in the 2026 draft class. He has the skill set to be effective on designed runs and in short-yardage situations early in his career. Payton also shows a ton of upside as a passer with overall solid accuracy and ball placement. Payton is a quarterback who will need time to develop, but he can become a solid backup quarterback with the upside to develop into a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Prospect Grade:
Fourth Round
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
