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The 2026 NFL Draft's crop of quarterbacks has undeniably fallen short of expectations. Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers are going back to school. A handful of crafty passers will find new homes in the transfer portal. Senior seasons for Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar took turns for the worse. The result has been a slimmed-down version of a once-exciting group begging for a late-process riser to jump into Round 1.
North Dakota State Bison quarterback Cole Payton is doing his best to make that leap. Following a decade-long line of Bison passers with NFL aspirations, Payton might be the most accomplished of the bunch.
Chasing down Carson Wentz and Trey Lance as top-five picks remains a long shot, but the football world now knows he'll get a fair shot.
Cole Payton is set for the Senior Bowl
On Friday, the Senior Bowl announced that Payton accepted his invitation to the Mobile festivities.
He joins Baylor's Sawyer Robertson, Arkansas' Taylen Green, and Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia at his position. There's a reasonable argument to be made that, as things stand, he's the best of the bunch.
Payton has legitimate NFL arm talent and exceptional athleticism. From a physical standpoint, his 6'2", 233-pound frame clears the bar and amplifies his rushing ability. Payton is a tackle-breaker at heart, boasting competitive toughness that makes him a menace as a rusher (and an anxiety-inducing watch for fans and coaches alike).
Unsurprisingly, this showed up in his rushing statistics. When filtering out sacks, Payton rushed for 894 yards and four touchdowns in his platform season. He might clear 4.60 seconds in Indianapolis later in the cycle, and his proclivity for creating explosives on the ground (29 gains of at least 10 yards, PFF) helped show why he was the best player on the field in virtually every game he played in 2025.
Payton is a safe passer who has the arm talent to stretch the field, but he still has a lot to prove in Mobile.
MORE: Top 2026 NFL Draft prospects to watch in Oklahoma vs. Alabama
For all the highlight throws, Payton is still at his best relying on his tools to dominate competition out of structure. Too many pressures turn into sacks, largely because of his willingness to play backyard football, and the talent advantage at North Dakota State doesn't help his development within the pocket.
Payton, much like NDSU legend Trey Lance, has significant work ahead of him as he transitions to the next level. He's not asked to operate anything close to an NFL offense and has fewer than 300 career pass attempts to his name. As a one-year starter, inexperience clouds his profile. The red flag of his level of competition only adds to the obstacles in his path to playing time.
The traits are present to become a Sunday starter, but without development as a processor and pocket manager, there's an incredibly wide range of outcomes on his profile.
On my board, Payton currently holds a fringe-top-100 grade. His physicality, tools, and raw intangibles remind me of former second-round pick Will Levis. A strong Senior Bowl could certainly move him up the board, but his ability to compete against future NFL contributors is an unknown.
Few players have more to gain than Payton in January. With an explosive skill set and plenty of reasons for skepticism, proving himself as the top passer at the event could facilitate a push into the top 50.
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