Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Cole Payton (2026 Fantasy Football)

This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is underway, and we finally get to see where the dynasty rookie draft prospects will launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values.

Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, providing an overview of their strengths and weaknesses and assessing their fantasy football value in both redraft and dynasty formats. Here’s our dynasty rookie draft advice for Cole Payton.

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Fantasy Football | Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Cole Payton

Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Cole Payton

The Eagles have added a dual-threat lefty quarterback in Payton. He was excellent on deep passes (20+ yards) last season, completing 62.5% of them for 1,247 yards, eight touchdowns, and just one interception. Overall, he completed over 71% of his passes and also recorded 13 rushing touchdowns. His delivery will need some work to compete at the NFL level, and he’s only started one season of FCS football. As for the landing spot, the Eagles quarterback room consists of Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, and Tanner McKee. I wonder if this makes McKee expendable after the team traded for Dalton, and of course, Hurts will be the quarterback in 2026. That said, there have been some rumblings in Philly about Hurts and if he’ll finish out his contract with the team, which is set to end in 2028. In dynasty leagues, he’s worth a late fourth-round pick, especially in superflex, but it may be a while before we see him on the field consistently other than in a Taysom Hill-like role, if at all.

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DBro’s NFL Draft Scouting Report & Player Comp: Cole Payton

Scouting Report:

Cole Payton’s dual-threat ability jumps off the film immediately. Payton has 4.6 speed and the ability to make defenders miss. Payton is built like an athletic tight end, and he’s a load to bring down in the open field. He’s not the twitchiest rusher, but he can plant his foot and avoid tacklers when needed. His size/speed combo is extremely interesting. In his final collegiate season, he had 120 rushing attempts, 894 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores.
The North Dakota State passing offense was built around Payton’s mobility with plenty of run-pass option (RPO) plays and bootlegs. Payton will have a sizable learning curve with an NFL offense, but there are also moments in his collegiate offense that offer hope that the transition won’t be as hard as it seems. He wasn’t asked to regularly make full field reads, but there are moments where he did and quickly moved to his third and fourth option in a progression. Payton is a “see it, throw it” quarterback, but he also has some anticipatory passing moments. The passing offense was also shotgun-based, so under-center work will be a hurdle, but that’s also the case for many college quarterbacks these days.
Payton has a cannon for an arm. He has easy flip of the wrist velocity and the strength to drive the ball downfield. He exhibits touch when layering second-level throws and precision when ripping deep outs. He can place the ball accurately at all three levels. Payton has an NFL arm in terms of strength and touch.
Payton will have an adjustment with the speed of the NFL game and the throwing lanes. There are plenty of examples of him hanging on his first read and waiting for them to uncover and break wide open. He’ll have to pull the trigger earlier in the NFL or find comfort with more tight windows. Payton has a gunslinger mentality, which can work in his favor, but with the sizable jump in competition, the early days in the NFL for him could be rocky as he adjusts. There are some plays where he flees a clean pocket to make a play with his legs. His margin for error and the ability to pull a rabbit out of his hat in the NFL will be decreased. He’ll have to recalibrate some.

Player Comp: Steve McNair Upside (Ceiling)/Jake Locker Downside (Floor)