| No. 10 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2002-10-26) October 26, 2002 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Westside (Omaha, Nebraska) |
| College | North Dakota State (2021–2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: 5th round, 178th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Cole Payton (born October 26, 2002) is an American professional football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison and he was selected by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Early life
Payton grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended Westside High School.[1] He was named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year after passing for 1,704 yards and 22 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,029 yards and 17 touchdowns.[2] Payton committed to play college football at North Dakota State.[3] He maintained his commitment despite late recruiting pushes from Iowa State and Nebraska to be a walk on.[4] He is a left-handed thrower.
College career
Payton played in three games during his true freshman while maintaining a redshirt on the season.[5] Payton was used in various play packages as a redshirt sophomore and rushed for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns while also completing 18 of 27 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns.[6] Payton completed 10 of 16 passes for 123 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt junior before suffering a season-ending injury.[7] Payton was named the starting quarterback going into his redshirt senior season.[8]
College statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2021 | North Dakota State | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 50.1 | 8 | 78 | 9.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | North Dakota State | 13 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 66.7 | 51 | 4.3 | 0 | 1 | 85.7 | 38 | 284 | 7.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | North Dakota State | 15 | 0 | 18 | 27 | 66.7 | 289 | 10.7 | 3 | 0 | 193.2 | 84 | 615 | 7.3 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | North Dakota State | 8 | 0 | 10 | 16 | 62.5 | 125 | 7.8 | 2 | 1 | 156.9 | 21 | 165 | 7.9 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 2025 | North Dakota State | 13 | 13 | 162 | 225 | 72.0 | 2,719 | 12.1 | 16 | 4 | 193.4 | 136 | 777 | 5.7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Career | 52 | 13 | 199 | 283 | 70.3 | 3,190 | 11.3 | 21 | 6 | 185.3 | 287 | 1,919 | 6.7 | 31 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 232 lb (105 kg) | 31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 6 ft 6+3⁄4 in (2.00 m) | 4.56 s | 1.57 s | 2.64 s | 4.36 s | 7.12 s | 40.0 in (1.02 m) | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) | |
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Payton was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round with the 178th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.[11] He officially signed a rookie scale contract for four-years, $4.62 million on May 1.[12]
References
- Pospisil, Stu (May 13, 2021). "Omaha Westside's Cole Payton named Nebraska's Gatorade football player of the year". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- Sherman, Mitch (December 14, 2020). "Why Nebraska may regret missing out on Omaha QB Cole Payton: Upon Further Review". The Athletic. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- "Westside's Payton commits to NDSU". KETV.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- Kolpack, Jeff (December 15, 2020). "Omaha star QB says no to Nebraska, Iowa State; will say yes to Bison on Wednesday". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- McFeely, Mike (September 7, 2023). "McFeely: 'Yeah, I can throw,' Bison backup QB Cole Payton says". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- Peterson, Eric (April 14, 2025). "Bison quarterback Cole Payton ready to display his dual-threat ability". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- McCarty, James (October 22, 2024). "Bison lose Jung, Payton for the season after suffering injuries in win over Jackrabbits". am1100theflag.com. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- Kolpack, Jeff (July 30, 2025). "After four years, Bison quarterback is finally Payton's place". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- "Cole Payton Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- "Cole Payton College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
- "Eagles draft QB Cole Payton No. 178 overall". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. April 25, 2026. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- McPherson, Chris (1 May 2026). "Eagles sign six 2026 draft picks, including WR Makai Lemon". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Philadelphia Eagles.