Eagles select North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton with fifth-round pick in 2026 NFL draft

The Eagles used their fifth-round pick to take a quarterback, selecting North Dakota State’s Cole Payton with the 178th pick in the draft.

Payton, a second-team FCS All-American, threw for 2,719 yards and completed 72% of his passes last season, his first as a starter. He had 16 touchdowns against four interceptions.

The big lefty from Omaha, Neb., who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, is a dual-threat player who ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the combine and rushed for 777 yards on 136 carries last season. He had 13 rushing touchdowns.

Payton is regarded as an intriguing prospect, one who will need some polishing after attempting only 282 passes in college, all of them at the FCS level. The Ringer’s Todd McShay called Payton “as unique a prospect as you’ll find in this class. He’s a left-handed quarterback who’s built like a big running back.”

Payton stood out at the Senior Bowl despite being weeks removed from having surgery on the thumb of his throwing hand.

He was used more as a ballcarrier while working behind 2025 sixth-round pick Cam Miller as the No. 2 quarterback prior to last season and finished his college career with more rush attempts (287) than pass attempts. Some teams, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, saw Payton as a potential tight end convert prior to the 2025 season.

The Eagles already have one of those in this draft class in second-round pick Eli Stowers, a tight end out of Vanderbilt who began his college career as a quarterback.

Payton, who said his confidence has grown immensely over the last year, said people wondered at times why he didn’t transfer out of North Dakota State in search of more playing time.

“I believed in NDSU, the pro-style offense, the fact that they’ve sent so many guys to the NFL,” he said. “I was going to make the most out of that one year. Here I am, but I’m so excited to be an Eagle, get to work and compete and improve.”

The Eagles were likely to take a quarterback this draft. They typically like to bring four quarterbacks to training camp and currently have Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, and Andy Dalton on the roster.

Payton said he’s looking forward to learning from Hurts, another dual-threat quarterback.

“Jalen Hurts is a winner,” he said. “He’s a competitor. Definitely a guy I look up to. I’m so excited to pick his brain, learn from him and the rest of the room. It’s going to be really cool to be under his wing and the rest of the guys and I can’t wait to learn and grow.”

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Last year, the Eagles used a Day 3 pick on a quarterback, Kyle McCord, who did not make the team and spent the season on the practice squad before being signed in the offseason by Green Bay.

Both McKee and Dalton are free agents after the 2026 season. The Eagles also could be shopping McKee in a trade to a quarterback-needy team.

At the league meeting last month, Howie Roseman said the offseason trade for Dalton was made “independent of Tanner [McKee].” Dalton, he said, can add a lot “on and off the field.”

Payton isn’t the first quarterback the Eagles have taken out of NDSU, of course. Ten years ago, they selected Carson Wentz with the second pick.

“He really put NDSU on the map,” Payton said.