Cole Payton

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 RPO action 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 to 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. Dynasty Outlook: Cole Payton unfortunately fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft, but he landed in a really nice spot to sit and develop. I won't dismiss that he could be the eventual successor to Jalen Hurts in Philly. Yes, Payton will be the QB4 on the depth chart to begin the year, but Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are unrestricted free agents after the 2026 season. That could easily leave Payton as Philly's QB2 entering the 2027 season. Philly is tied to Hurts for the next two seasons with an out after the 2027 season with a 24.3 million dollar dead cap hit. I loved Payton as a prospect, and with no quarterbacks getting drafted earlier than the third round in this year's draft, Payton will be my QB3 when it's all said and done. I'd rather bet on his talent and traits over other flawed quarterback prospects that received middling but better draft capital.

The Philadelphia Eagles have selected QB Cole Payton with the No. 178 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Fantasy Impact

The Philadelphia Eagles have a history of developing backup quarterbacks. Cole Payton might be the next on the list, but he will have to beat out Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton for a roster spot behind Jalen Hurts on the depth chart.