INDIANAPOLIS -- Cole Payton is a 6-3, 233-pound, left-handed quarterback who came off his only season as starter at North Dakota State as a late invite to the Senior Bowl.
About this late invitee, this late riser here, an NFL scout approached me the first day of the NFL Combine and said he had the QB into whom I should look as ant under-the-rader fit for the Steelers, because of his size and mobility, and particularly how Payton can "drive the ball." The scout was also excited about Payton's testing potential on Saturday.
This scout, by the way, was the first to rave to me last February about Jaxson Dart, whom he called a third-rounder. That's where he pegs Payton.
I took those raves and tried them out on some of the draft experts in the Steelers media, but received zero positive feedback:
* "I'm not wasting any time on a seventh-round pick," said one.
* "Everything about him is long: his throwing motion, his movement in the pocket, his release. Everything about him screams 'too long,'" said a second.
* "He's terrible. A one-year starter at the FCS level? No thanks," said a third.
Geez. Wonder why an NFL scout can't see any of that.
So, I went to some of the national draft experts whom I respect, and received much more positive responses.
* Greg Cosell: "I haven't watched him yet," the astute QB judge said. "But I've been told that I should, that he's gaining some momentum."
* Tony Pauline: "He's definitely a quarterback on the upswing. Was the best quarterback at the Senior Bowl, hands down the best quarterback at the Senior Bowl, which means a lot. Coming into the season, you were looking at him as a potential late-round pick. He's definitely moved into the top of Day 3, could be a late Day 2 selection. Good size, good arm strength, has all the tools, and seems to be putting it together as a passer. I think he's going to need time, because he started (only) one year at North Dakota State, did an OK job, but the Senior Bowl showed that he's got the tools to work with and can play at the next level. So he's just got to get hooked up with a good coach and an organization that knows how to develop quarterbacks, which means not the Jets or the Cleveland Browns."
* Doug Farrar: "When you watch the North Dakota State offense over the last few years, the most interesting thing, the most fun thing for me to watch, is the complexity of the run game. Some teams are all zone, they're all man, they're all duo, whatever. These guys run everything under the sun. It helps him as a quarterback. But in the same way you're looking at Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts, the quarterback who is a force-multiplier as a runner ties the run game and the pass game together in certain offenses. And I think he can do that right away. " (To be continued.)
Now, let's get to Payton himself. He spoke to the media at the same time as Fernando Mendoza, and also at the same time as other alleged early-rounders spoke, so there were few reporters around Payton, which is always nice.
I did want to get to Lance, his go-to WR and brother of former North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. Bryce was speaking at the same time as Cole, too, so I left the QB temporarily to find the WR, and then returned to the QB later. Here are those transcripts:
COLE PAYTON
Q: Cole, let me get this one out of the way so as not to bother these other guys, but have you met with Mike McCarthy here?
CP: "No."
Q: You were at North Dakota State for quite a while before you became a starting quarterback. Did you ever consider going somewhere where you might get a career opportunity? What made you stay with the Bison?
CP: "Transferring never seriously crossed my mind. I loved NDSU coming out of high school -- the tradition, the brotherhood, the connections I made, really learning ball from guys like (former QBs) Coach (Randy) Hedberg, (former offensive coordinator) Coach (Tyler) Roehl, and then Coach (Tim) Polasek when he came along. You know, I also had a role as a backup. I would go in to run the ball a little bit, and I was getting meaningful snaps even as a backup. I was playing a little special teams as well (chuckle) as a junior. So, just looking ahead, I knew I had one year, and it only takes one year. And so I decided to stay."
North Dakota State's Cole Payton at the NFL Combine (Photo: Jacob Musselman, USA TODAY Sports)
Q: What'd you take away from Cam Miller in your time as his backup?
CP: "Cam is one of my best friends. He's the ultimate competitor. What I really took away from Cam was his ability to lead a group of men, connect with guys, and lead a locker room. And then his ability to prepare; he was so dang prepared and so sharp with the details every single week, and that's why we were successful."
Q: What are some of the non-physical and tangible factors you can bring to a team that'll help you stick in the NFL?
CP: "It starts with the chip on my shoulder. I'm uber-competitive. I love this game and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that roster, to make an impact on a team, and to eventually be a starting quarterback in this league."
Q: When you get in there and meet with those guys and they get you on the whiteboard, do you hold your own? Do you have enough sophistication for the NFL?
CP: "Totally. I'm cerebral on the board. Like, you need me on the board, I'm drawing great circles, I'm understanding the details, like, better than anyone. I'll challenge anyone to draw some circles on the board, draw up a defense, explain my responsibilities, everyone else's responsibilities. I pride myself in that."
Q: Can you point NFL teams to one or two plays from last where it was a pure progression read and you made an NFL-ready throw?
CP: "I just think, in general, the style of offense at NDSU has prepared me so well. Like, we actually huddled about 75% of the time. I was getting the playcall from our OC in my helmet, and so that's prepared me very well for the next level. And then doing stuff under center, running play-action schemes, whether that's big inside-zone fakes, setting up in the pocket and throwing deep posts, deep crosses."
Q: (Inaudible question)
CP: "We do a ton of things offensively: pro style, get under center, run the ball, play-action, full-field progressions, split-field progressions. But as time went on, and Coach Polasek became our head coach at NDSU, he started moving more toward this world of full-field progressions, instead of pick a side with leverage and space. At times, that can make it easier on a quarterback, and so that was fun to be a part of."
Q: North Dakota State has been a quarterback factory over the past couple years. What does it mean to you to be in the legacy of Bison quarterbacks? And what do you hope to do differently to be the best out of all of them?
CP: "It's a big reason why I went to NDSU, because of the lineage, because of Coach Hedberg and the guys he's produced, because of the winning tradition and, man, shout out to all the guys for paving the way. It doesn't matter where you come from. And, yes, they're FBS now, which is so cool, but being an FCS guy, it doesn't matter where you come from, you can make it and you can have an impact on this league. I just hope to be a very successful starting quarterback one day."
Q: What do you think of the move to FBS?
CP: "Honestly shocked at first, because I wasn't expecting it this soon. You knew eventually it was going to happen. Hopefully, they can get past this postseason ineligibility with the reclassification, because I think that's, frankly, not a cool rule. They're gonna have so much success. I'm a little biased, but they're gonna kill it this year in the Mountain West. Honestly, they have a chance for the college football playoff, and so hopefully we can get rid of this postseason ineligibility ban."
Q: Do you have a favorite quarterback?
CP: "As of recently it's been Josh Allen. Just the way he can make every throw, and the way he can extend plays in the run game. He's a gritty runner and I pride myself on being gritty. He definitely does that."
Q: Your combine times and things like that, I hear you're going to be known after this. Do you agree?
CP: "That's the goal."
Q: What kind of estimates on your 40 and things like that?
CP: "We'll see tomorrow."
BRYCE LANCE
BL: "... I talk to my brother every day. I'm gonna go see him right after this is done and catch for him leading up to my pro day. I've been to a few of his games. Obviously, with my schedule it's hard to get to all of him. But it's always been a cool experience going to different stadiums and watching different teams play."
Q: Bryce, your quarterback's catching a lot of steam, rising a little bit. Could you give me some insight into the kind of quarterback he is?
BL: "He's a quarterback that's going to do whatever the team needs to get a win at the end of the day. He is a championship-level quarterback. It's really been cool and a blessing to see his game progress."
Q: Tell me about his game. I haven't seen anything. How strong is his arm? How fast? Tell me about his physical attributes.
BL: "Yeah, physical, very fast, strong as well. You should see this guy in the weight room. You wouldn't think he was a quarterback. During a game, he has the ability to make plays with his feet as well, which is a really special attribute for a quarterback too."
Q: And he can drive the ball?
BL: "Yes. No doubt. No doubt."
Q: As a deep threat yourself, you're happy with his arm strength?
BL: "No complaints here (laughs). No complaints here."
Q: Mentally, does he have what it takes for the NFL?
BL: "Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. He's gonna be just fine."
COLE PAYTON, PART II
CP: "... I love the place, and they developed me into the quarterback I am today. Being in a pro-style offense like that, I think playing one year there would mean more than playing two or three anywhere else.
Q: Can you kind of explain what's going through your mind and your thought process when you step up to the line?
CP: "It starts with the huddle, you know, getting the playcalls, spitting out to the huddle. And then when you're lining up there, you're understanding how much time you've got on the play clock and whether there are two play calls in one. Is there an adjustment we need to make? It's understanding the front, the second level, where these guys are aligned and if that's matching up with the film you've been watching. And then if it's a pass play, you've got your progressions. Is this guy my alert? Is the corner off and soft? Just so many things. I could go on and on about that."
Q: Any teams you've met with formally here?
CP: "The Lions and Bears."
Q: What do you say to those who question the competition at the FCS level and you making the jump to the pros?
CP: "I just ask the chip on my shoulder. I've always had that, not being a big recruit out of high school even, and so I've kept that with me. It's gonna help me continue to work my tail off day in and day out, and to continue to prove myself right, to represent NDSU the right way, and prove all those doubters wrong."
Q: You're from the Omaha area. What does it mean to represent that area?
CP: "It's awesome. I think Omaha high school football is slept on a little bit. A lot of us grew up wanting to go to Nebraska, and when they pass on you, it's like I've been talking about, I've got this chip on my shoulder. And so, yeah, it's just been so cool to represent my family back home, the people in Omaha, Westside High School. It's been a blessing."
Q: You were Gatorade Player of the Year. Why didn't Nebraska offer you?
CP: "(Laughs) I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I wish I knew."
Q: Cole, the history of one-year starters entering the NFL is not great. Why would you buck that?
CP: "Because I'm different. I'm not those guys. And then you can look at it from the other perspective, too. There are guys who have started for three or four years and not made it. And so I'm not worried about that stigma, and I know I'm going to make the most out of my opportunities."
Q: Have you talked to any of the other NDSU quarterbacks who've played in the NFL about the process?
CP: "Yeah, Easton Stick. He's been coming back for the last three or four years, back to Fargo and hosting a high school and college football camp. We've gotten to be participants in it, and just the knowledge and wisdom he brings. When it comes from a leadership perspective, from just stories or things about the game, and then he's also had, you know, Trey (Lance) come back and talk and Cam (Miller) and all those guys. They're Bison through and through, and so it's always fun to get to pick their brains a little bit."
Q: Iowa State is said to have offered you as a walk-on. Wasn't that coaching staff highly regarded as far as a sophisticated passing game?
CP: "I don't know if I ever officially got -- I guess there were talks of me getting some noise from Nebraska and Iowa State after we won the state championship my senior year. I never personally talked to them. But I know they wanted to reach out, and I was busy on going to NDSU."
Q: From a mental perspective, what makes you special?
CP: "It's my mental toughness. I pride myself on being calm, cool, and collected, and I think that's important at the quarterback position. And it's my character as well. It's being a servant-leader and all of that stuff, and it starts from from the neck up."
DOUG FARRAR (Cont.)
Q: So, he's not Tim Tebow as a passer?
DF: "I've heard him compared to Tebow. I've heard, 'He's Tim Tebow but he can read defenses.' He's twice (pause) Tebow ran like a fullback. Tebow ran like Mike Alstott. This guy runs like a running back. I mean, if you just put on his run plays, and greened out his name and said, 'This is a running back at the FCS level,' you'd believe it."
Q: How much tape of him did you watch?
DF: "Four games."
Q: You told me earlier you kept looking for the alleged holes in his game.
DF: "I think if you're trying to impart your knowledge that maybe you don't have, you start by just crapping all over a prospect because it makes you look like you know more than maybe you do. GMs and coaches tell me, they tell you, that you start with what a guy can do. You start with the positive, because it's easy to just say, 'Oh, he can't do anything.' And then you're never wrong, because no one's perfect. I think in Payton's case, one thing, he is an incredible -- he might be the best deep-passer in this class. And, yes, having (WR) Bryce Lance helps. (Payton) is a solid, foundational guy as far as his mechanics. It's a repeatable throwing motion. The long-delivery thing you were talking about, I didn't see that. I didn't see any problem at all. It's a whipsaw with consistent delivery angles. Brady's the ultimate example. You could superimpose a thousand throws and it would all look the same, like robotic, mechanical. The best quarterbacks have that. And he's such a good deep passer. As he said during his session, he can extend plays. He can throw on the move. He will whip his shoulder around. You know the guys who are throwing on the move, if they're on the move and they sort of duck underneath, the accuracy suffers. When you're throwing on the move, you still have to have the same mechanics. He does. He's very fundamentally sound. And that knock about him being only a one-year starter going to the NFL, he had those four years sort of in the incubator. He learned a lot, and then there's the one season starting. You can tell. It shows up on tape."
Q: Is it absurd to even ask if this guy has a left-handed Josh Allen-type ceiling?
DF: "Allen is a bit more dynamic as a runner from a speed perspective, and his height helps him in that he's a little more explosive than Payton. If you look back at the 2023 Eagles, when Jalen Hurts was the epicenter of the whole offense because he was a running quarterback who could do both things equally well, I could absolutely see him in that type of offense."
Q: What round? How much do you like him?
DF: "He's my QB2. I'm not as big a Ty Simpson fan. With Ty Simpson, I'm trying to be neutral. I'm not looking for positives; I'm not looking for negatives. I just put on the tape and whatever it says it says. The tape tells me. And I have more concerns about Ty Simpson than some people do. I don't see him as, like, the perfect fit in Sean McVay's system, or a first-round guy. When I watch Cole Payton more and more, I'm thinking he's QB2. I think he could go mid to late second."
North Dakota State's Cole Payton in the Senior Bowl (Photo: Vasha Hunt, USA TODAY Sports)