Cole

Payton

This is, of course, all speculation, but Payton is one of the more athletic QBs (4.56 40-yard dash, 9.86 RAS) to come through the draft in recent memory, and there’s been plenty of speculation about what the Eagles have planned for him after making him the fourth quarterback on the roster. Mosher notes in his article that he reached out to an NFL personnel executive who scouted Payton to get his thoughts on him. Said scout replied, “not sure he’s a QB,” and according to Mosher, the “personnel exec and the team he works for weren’t alone in that opinion.” It’s worth noting that Payton was asked to participate in non-QB drills at North Dakota State’s Pro Day but declined. Now that he’s found his landing spot to begin his pro career, it will be interesting to see how he will be utilized come camp and whether or not the Eagles and Nick Sirianni have a few tricks up their sleeves for their rookie fifth-rounder.

The latest North Dakota State QB prospect is perhaps the program’s most athletic. Payton (6’3”/232) ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine and earned an impressive 9.86 RAS to elevate an already intriguing draft stock. Payton is a fifth-year prospect who only saw one season as a starter, but his big-play ability was undeniable. The lefty rushed for 136-777-13 in his final season with the Bison while throwing for 2,719-16-4. His deep ball completion percent numbers look like something out of a video game, as Payton’s 61.9 percent deep completion rate ranks the highest of any QB prospect since 2015, but there’s still plenty of work to be done here. Scouts are quick to criticize Payton’s throwing mechanics, but his profile also has concerning sack-avoiding totals and scramble rates. His career pressure-to-sack rate of 20.6 percent is a general red flag, and his 17.6 percent scramble rate is the highest of any QB prospect since 2018. North Dakota State has offered up several intriguing QB prospects in recent years, with Carson Wentz turning in the most successful pro career to date. Payton will have some work to do if he hopes to get a chance to shine at the NFL level, but even if he doesn’t fully develop as a pro-style QB, he has enough athleticism to possibly contribute as a gadget player in the right scheme. He’ll now have a chance to develop behind Jalen Hurts and could push Tanner McKee for the QB2 job in camp.