Cole Payton
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Cole Payton has received a rave review from Todd McShay after meeting with the Steelers
For the second straight offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck waiting for a decision from legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his playing future. While the Steelers front office has done well to rebuild its roster over the past week or so, it’s tough to ignore the fact that there’s a major question mark at the most important position in the game right now.
Even if Rodgers returns for one more season, it’s fair to assume that Pittsburgh is going to take a close look at the crop of quarterbacks set to be available in the 2026 NFL Draft. One guy who’s beginning to draw quite a bit of attention is North Dakota State Bison quarterback Cole Payton, and after the Steelers met with him earlier this week, he received a rave review from respected draft analyst Todd McShay.
Todd McShay Gushes Over Cole Payton
Rodgers proved in 2025 that, even at the age of 42, he still has some gas left in the tank. His numbers didn’t come close to the MVP-caliber production he put on paper earlier in his career, but he still did enough to lead the Steelers to the playoffs (327/498, 3,322 YDS, 24 TD, 7 INT). With old friend Mike McCarthy taking over as the team’s new head coach, Pittsburgh has made it clear it wants Rodgers back for the 2026 campaign.
As noted above, though, Rodgers is a short-term answer at quarterback. Somewhere down the line, the Steelers are going to need to find someone who can be the long-term answer. Payton could be that guy, and he appears to be firmly on Pittsburgh’s radar after he threw for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, while also rushing for 777 yards and 13 more scores.
The 2026 draft class doesn’t exactly have a ton of top-tier quarterback prospects, but Payton appears to be rising up boards pretty quickly. After meeting with the Steelers, McShay boldly declared that Payton is his QB3 in this draft class, and that he believes the left-handed passer will be selected in either the second or third round of the draft.
“I’ll be surprised if he isn’t (selected on Day 2) … Payton is QB3 IMO,” McShay wrote in a post on X.
Should the Steelers Draft Cole Payton?
Cole Payton
GettyCole Payton throws a pass during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Payton is a unique prospect. Not only is he a left-handed quarterback, but he also didn’t exactly play at a blue-chip school in North Dakota State. And yet, there’s a lot to like about his play under center. Payton frequently hit deep throws for the Bison, and as we saw in 2025 with the rise of a guy like Drake Maye of the New England Patriots, that’s an important trait to have. Payton can also make plays on the ground with his legs when the pocket collapses on him.
Pittsburgh was hoping to have clarity on Rodgers’ future before the start of free agency, but that didn’t happen. In a perfect world, the Steelers will have an answer from Rodgers before the draft, but there’s no guarantee that will happen either. Regardless of what he does, though, Pittsburgh could use another young quarterback to develop on its depth chart, which makes Payton an intriguing option as the draft draws near.