For the fifth time in the last decade, North Dakota State has seen one of its quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft. Cole Payton has now joined the rich lineage of Cam Miller (2025), Trey Lance (2021), Easton Stick (2019) and Carson Wentz (2016) as former Bison signal callers to hear their name called. Payton was taken by the Eagles on Saturday afternoon as the 178th overall pick and was the sixth signal caller off the board.

After impressing at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine earlier this year, Payton shot up draft boards. With NDSU in 2025 he completed over 71% of his passes and accounted for 3,642 all-purpose yards along with 29 total touchdowns. Payton waited in the wings for a couple years at NDSU before he finally got his starting opportunity last fall. He is a raw athlete that has a tremendous amount of upside as he makes his way to the pros and should be able to compete in the Philly QB room for the spot behind Jalen Hurts.

The lefty @NDSUfootball QB Cole Payton showing off the deep ball.2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetworkStream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IpCqRYyDd8

His dual-threat ability under center will help Payton greatly. His speed and ability to evade defenders on the ground is something that has made him a top signal caller. Payton’s arm is also an asset, though, in both its strength and accuracy. He puts a great amount of zip on the ball and is excellent at throwing his receivers open downfield. Overall Payton should fit into the Eagles system very well but will likely serve as a second or third stringer for a while.