Draft-Week Buzz
No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: FCS riser with pro processing
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is Quarterback #7 in the 2026 class.
Background
North Dakota State transfer from D-II Waldorf University; FCS success story with pro-style arm talent.
College Production
2024 NDSU: 3,086 pass yds, 31 TDs, 5 INTs + 680 rush yds / 12 TDs — FCS National Champion. 2025: similar volume with improved accuracy.
Scouting Take
Strong arm with quick release; mobile enough to extend plays. Lacks experience against top competition; scheme-transition risk from FCS.
Draft Projection
Round 3-4 range. Best fits: QB-needy teams looking for developmental backup in play-action schemes (Packers, Eagles as bridge options).
Advanced Stats & Production
| 2024 FCS PFF grade | 88.2 |
| Adj completion % | 68.1% |
| Yards per attempt | 9.8 |
| Big-time throw rate | 6.1% |
| Turnover-worthy play rate | 2.4% |
Metrics blended from PFF grade sheets, school box scores, and Combine/Pro Day box scores. Position-specific: QB shows efficiency + turnover rates, WR/TE show route-running + contested-catch, OL shows pass-block grade + pressures allowed, EDGE/IDL show pass-rush win rate + pressure rate, LB/DB show coverage grade + missed-tackle rate.
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits
NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Cole Payton as a Day 2/3 replacement option.
- REPORTED Las Vegas Raiders: moved on from Geno Smith (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #1; R2 #36 - REPORTED Arizona Cardinals: moved on from Kyler Murray (pocket-QB).
Picks held: R1 #3; R2 #34
Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- Pro-style play-action / boot-action attack
San Francisco 49ers · Los Angeles Rams · Minnesota Vikings · Detroit Lions
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$5.0M – $8.0M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #65-96 · ~50% guaranteed
Mid-pick band — guarantee % varies pick-to-pick
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: QB listed in their top-5 positional needs.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: QB not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 QB prospects, his 6-3 / 225 lbs frame sits at the 80th percentile in height and 87th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Cole Payton is QB #7 of 30 ranked QBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 2 are projected in the R3 range.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Similar Quarterback Prospects
Closest matches to Cole Payton (6-3 / 225 lbs, #7 QB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Carson BeckSIZE MATCH Miami (FL) · 6-4/220 lbs · #5 QB · R2-R3
- Behren MortonTIER MATCH Texas Tech · 6-2/205 lbs · #9 QB · R4-R5
- Cade KlubnikTIER MATCH Clemson · 6-2/195 lbs · #6 QB · R3
- Avery JohnsonTIER MATCH Kansas State · 6-1/205 lbs · #8 QB · R4
- Ty SimpsonSIZE MATCH Alabama · 6-2/215 lbs · #2 QB · R1 20-40
North Dakota State & The 2026 Class
Other R3-R4 prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Cole Payton.
- Jadon Coats · RB · Purdue
- Emmett Johnson · RB · Nebraska
- Antonio Williams · WR · Clemson
- Justin Joly · TE · NC State
- Sam Hecht · IOL · Kansas State
- Bryce Boettcher · LB · Oregon