The Senior Bowl has long served as the unofficial start of the NFL Draft process, a week where NFL personnel descend upon Mobile, Alabama, to evaluate the nation’s top prospects in person. For FCS players, an invitation represents something even more significant: validation.
With just three FCS players among the 130-plus prospects heading to Hancock Whitney Stadium this week, the opportunity to compete against Power Four standouts on even footing is both rare and career-altering. Here are PFSN’s highest-graded FCS players set to participate in the 2026 Senior Bowl.
Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State
2025 PFSN FCS QB Impact Score: 89.7
Patience isn’t merely a virtue in Fargo; it’s a prerequisite. Cole Payton understands that reality better than most, having spent four years backing up two of the most decorated quarterbacks in NDSU’s storied Division I history.
First behind Trey Lance, then Cam Miller, the left-handed signal-caller bided his time, contributing as a running threat in various packages while absorbing everything he could from the Bison programme’s quarterback factory.
When his opportunity finally arrived in 2025, Payton delivered a season worthy of the lineage that preceded him. The 6’3″, 233-pound dual-threat completed 161 of 224 passes for 2,719 yards with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions while adding 13 rushing scores, helping North Dakota State storm to a 12-0 regular season record.
His performance earned him a Walter Payton Award finalist nod and an NFL Combine invitation, a far cry from the player some scouts once questioned as a potential H-back convert.
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The Bison’s stunning playoff exit to Illinois State, during which Payton suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand, cut short what seemed a destiny-bound march toward an 11th national championship.
Yet Payton’s body of work spoke loudly enough. His efficiency numbers sat atop the FCS leaderboards for much of the season, and his arm talent — a live, compact throwing motion reminiscent of Michael Penix Jr. — flashed consistently against Missouri Valley Football Conference competition.
Delby Lemieux, OL, Dartmouth
2025 PFSN FCS OL Impact Score: 83.8
The path from Duxbury, Massachusetts, to Mobile rarely runs through the Ivy League, which makes Delby Lemieux’s Senior Bowl invitation all the more remarkable.
One of only three FCS players granted entry to this year’s game among over 130 invitees, the Dartmouth offensive lineman represents a rare breed: the small-school prospect whose tape is simply too good for NFL evaluators to ignore.
Lemieux’s 2025 campaign was nothing short of dominant. The 6’3″, 285-pound blocker was named to the Associated Press FCS All-American first team after anchoring a Dartmouth offensive line that surrendered the fifth-fewest sacks in the country (0.80 per game) while ranking third in the Ivy League in rushing offense.
Most impressive? Lemieux did not allow a single sack all season.
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Phil Steele recognised his excellence with the Ivy League Offensive Lineman of the Year award, the culmination of a career that saw the multi-sport athlete evolve from a lanky high school prospect — one who powered Duxbury to back-to-back Division 4 Super Bowl appearances at Gillette Stadium — into a legitimate NFL commodity.
His footwork, length, and ability to handle edge rushers should translate at the next level, and the Senior Bowl provides the perfect stage to prove that Ivy League competition hasn’t stunted his development.
Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
2025 PFSN FCS CB Impact Score: 79.2
Charles Demmings didn’t play football until his senior year of high school in Mesquite, Texas. Let that sink in. The raw athleticism that prompted such a late introduction to the sport has since blossomed into one of the FCS’s most intriguing cornerback prospects, and NFL scouts have taken notice.
The 6’1″, 190-pound cover man was a shutdown presence for the Lumberjacks in 2025, posting four interceptions and nine pass breakups while allowing just 17 receptions on 36 targets (47.2%) through 12 games.
That lockdown ability helped propel Stephen F. Austin to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time since 2009, with Demmings delivering a clutch diving interception in a thrilling playoff victory over Abilene Christian.
There is considerable buzz around his testing numbers — expectations include a low 4.3-second 40-yard dash, a 44-inch vertical leap, and a broad jump in the 11’3″ range. For a player with such limited football experience, the ceiling is tantalising.
Several teams are reportedly showing interest, viewing Demmings as a potential Day 3 pick who could develop behind established starters. His Senior Bowl week will determine whether that projection holds or if his raw tools push him even higher on draft boards.
