Quarterback Cole Payton waited patiently for his turn at North Dakota State as he redshirted and sat behind other guys for a couple of years, mostly just learning and watching. Then 2025 came around, and when he finally got the job, he did not look out of place at all.
Cole Payton Projected Draft Landing Spots
Payton’s numbers ended up being pretty good during that season: 2,719 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, and he was completing 72.0% of his throws. On the ground, he added 777 yards and 13 scores, which tells you how much they trusted him in difficult situations. On third-and-short and near the goal line, he was part of the answer.
PFSN has him at a 75.14 Scouting Grade, and he ranks as a QB6, which means he’d probably be a Day 3 pick. He also looks the part right away. He is 6-foot-3 and over 230 pounds, built like he can take hits and keep going.
The arm is good. Not perfect, not always clean, but he can get the ball out from different angles and still make it work. There’s a bit of instinct to it. But once you get past all that, the main thing is pretty obvious, and that is he hasn’t played a ton. It shows up here and there. Some plays look really smooth, like he’s in control of everything.
Then others feel rushed, like the picture changed on him and he did not catch up in time. So, yeah, he is more of a long-term pick than anything else. And because of that, where he ends up matters, and the following are the places where he could land.
New York Jets
This feels like a place where he can just sit and figure things out, even with the team only having 35-year-old Geno Smith as the primary quarterback. But there will be no pressure to play right away for Payton, which is probably what he needs. In the meantime, his movement gives them something a little different to work with in practice.
Philadelphia Eagles
This one lines up as well. They already run a lot of RPOs, quarterback runs, and stuff that gets the QB moving. He wouldn’t be learning from scratch here. Let him sit behind Jalen Hurts and pick things up without forcing it.
Pittsburgh Steelers
This is more about the kind of player he is physically. He’s built to handle the physical game, and that matters in Pittsburgh. He’d be a project early, but you can see why they’d be interested in him.
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Green Bay Packers
Probably the calmest setup for him. They don’t rush quarterbacks. He could sit behind Jordan Love, take his time, and just get better without anyone expecting him to play soon.
Miami Dolphins
This one depends on how they’d use him. Their offense is fast and timing-based, but when things break down, he’s comfortable making something happen. It is not a perfect match yet, but there’s something there.
He’s raw but you have to love how this kid throws off script, shows no fear and runs like a freight train! Perfect short yardage guy; 3rd and 1, 4th and goal. PS… this kid competes big time! If the Jets manage to hit on him, no need to use their 1st round draft treasure next year to land the #1 QB. The Jets have to take a QB this year regardless for that very reason; if they finally hit on a QB this year, they can really turn the franchise around next year w/o having to use all of that draft capital to get one. Will the football gods final favor the Jets?