Over the past few years, the Philadelphia Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman have wowed with their ability to navigate the draft and have the board fall in their favor year after year. While they did it again in Round 1, the Eagles waited until Round 5 for another shocking selection, drafting North Dakota State QB Cole Payton 178th overall.
After a disappointing Wild Card round loss last season and a drama-filled offseason, including the impending trade of wide receiver A.J. Brown, the selection of Payton added more heat to the seat under quarterback Jalen Hurts, who needs to step up in 2026. Let’s see how the NFL world reacted to the selection.
NFL World Goes Wild After Eagles Draft NDSU QB Cole Payton in Fifth Round
While Hurts is undoubtedly the starter heading into the season, the stress in the locker room between him and other members of the team has affected the roster to the point that the world is expecting Brown to be traded to the New England Patriots in June, according to reports.
The Eagles added former USC wideout Makai Lemon in Round 1, trading in front of the Steelers and selecting him while they were on the phone with him, to fill the expected void. They have also spent all their picks on offensive additions through five rounds, including Payton in the fifth.
The PFSN Draft team gave the selection a C- grade on the NFL Draft HQ. He’ll enter a QB room with Hurts, Tanner McKee, and Andy Dalton. Barring another setback or injury, Hurts should start the whole season, but Payton will have a battle on his hands with a quarterback the Eagles have trusted in the past in those instances, in McKee. That didn’t stop fans around the NFL world from starting the speculation.
Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks summed up Philadelphia’s fifth-round pick on X, posting, “The Eagles have added to the Quarterback Factory. College stats: 72% on 225 attempts, 2,719 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT in one season…136 carries for 777 yards, 13 TD. Big body QB that can run. Accurate passer, too. Intriguing prospect. Has the physical tools you want in a QB.”
The Eagles have added to the Quarterback Factory
Some thoughts on Cole Payton:
** Very funny the Eagles have added a quarterback out of North Dakota State to backup Jalen Hurts
** College stats: 72% on 225 attempts, 2,719 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT in one season…136 carries for 777… pic.twitter.com/lMy5LvoLTK
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 25, 2026
Many couldn’t help but notice the irony in the Eagles’ selection, with AP senior NFL writer Rob Maaddi explaining, “Last time the Eagles drafted a QB from North Dakota State (2016), they won a Super Bowl the following season (2017). Cole Payton joins the QB Factory.” Philadelphia drafted Carson Wentz second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jalen Hurts watching the Eagles draft a QB: pic.twitter.com/mjN4w99m7f
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) April 25, 2026
While the selection of Payton alone doesn’t put Hurts’ position in jeopardy, some are now questioning Philadelphia’s draft and offseason moves as a whole.
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Fantasy Football injury analyst Jeff Mueller shared some thoughts, explaining, “The Eagles have drafted very good weapons that fit a MOF attack scheme (Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers), and have signed QB Andy Dalton and now drafted QB Cole Payton for a room with Jalen Hurts (who doesn’t attack MOF very well) and Tanner McKee. Something brewing?”
Cue the WIP storyline:
“Eagles prepare for Jalen Hurts downfull with full circle selection of NDSU QB” https://t.co/G0dqZI3AsB
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) April 25, 2026
As a one-year starter, Payton sorely lacks in-game reps, and his processing runs on the slow side as a result.
Payton shouldn’t be thrown into the fire right away as a field general, and is a developmental QB first, who could be utilized in certain Taysom Hill-esque packages early on. If he enters the right situation and has time to acclimate before getting the reps he needs, his upside is present. It’s unlikely fans will see him on the field in 2026.
Although Payton will not compete with Hurts for the starting quarterback job, the Eagles’ decision to draft him will certainly put pressure on the former Super Bowl MVP, who is coming off a bad season. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, Hurts was the 15th-ranked quarterback in the league with an impact score of 78.3.
