Cole Payton
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North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton.
The Philadelphia Eagles have asked a lot of quarterback Jalen Hurts over the last 6 years. He’s given them more than they could have imagined, taking them to 2 Super Bowls, winning 1. He’s also made his team a perennial contender with him as the starter.
Part of the burden for Hurts, who signed a 5-year, $255 million contract extension in 2023, has been being the man behind the Tush Push — a short-yardage miracle of a play that’s defined this era for the Eagles.
It’s also left Hurts, on more than 1 occasion, beaten to hell. That’s why the Eagles should consider using a Day 2 or Day 3 pick on a quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, with the goal of getting someone who can be used in goalline packages.
The perfect quarterback just so happens to exist in North Dakota State’s Cole Payton.
Payton, 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, wowed at the NFL scouting combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds to go with a 40-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump.
“Cole Payton from North Dakota State might be the third-best (quarterback) prospect,” The Ringer’s Todd McShay said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Tuesday. “I’m not saying he’s there now, but a guy who could come in, kind of like Seattle was trying to use Jalen Milroe, short yardage, goal lines, play that role and develop into a starter. He’s mobile, he throws the ball well on the run, he’s deadly accurate and it’s the weirdest thing because all of his mechanics look horrible, like tight upper body, south paw, all that. I think he could go ahead of Garrett Nussmeier and Carson Beck … I think he could wind up going in the second round. And I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t go in the third. I honestly think he could be the third quarterback off the board.”
Cole Payton Called ‘Future Franchise QB’
Payton spent 3 seasons — and won 2 FCS national championships — playing in what McShay called the “Tim Tebow Role” for North Dakota State as a backup who came in and was utilized in short-yardage situations.
In his lone season as a starter in 2025, he threw for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. Payton also rushed for 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry as the Bison went 12-1.
“Cole Payton put on a show today at his Pro Day!” Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps wrote on his official X account on March 19. “Cole ripped the ball going 52/54. He checked all of the boxes today and displayed why he is one of the best QBs in this draft. One team is going to land a future franchise QB.”
Hurts Owns Several NFL QB Rushing Records
Hurts has more than lived up to his bargain when it comes to putting his head down and running the ball.
In 6 seasons as the starter for the Eagles, Hurts, the Super Bowl LIX MVP, owns the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season (15), most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a postseason game (3), and most rushing yards by a quarterback in a Super Bowl (72).