Cole Payton's NFL Draft Buzz Is Exploding and 32 Teams Are Taking Notice

North Dakota State's Cole Payton is the biggest wild card at quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. A one-year starter, Payton was outstanding in 2025. The Omaha, Nebraska native accounted for 3,500 yards of offense and 29 touchdowns as an elite dual-threat quarterback.

Payton has elite size for the quarterback position at 232 pounds with 10-inch hands. The playmaking QB then went to the NFL Combine and ran the 40-yard dash in a 91st-percentile 4.56 seconds. Payton is a high-level athlete at quarterback.

Payton recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Payton discussed his early beginnings at NDSU, preparing to start, breaking out in 2025, his upside as a dual-threat passer and runner, learning how to play quarterback in a pro-style offense, and more.

NFL Draft: North Dakota State QB Cole Payton Has High Upside

JM: You have to wait your turn at North Dakota State. That's just how it goes if you want to play quarterback at that program. You sat behind some good ones and you learned a lot while preparing to play. How did you maximize that time while waiting for your opportunity?

Cole Payton: That’s a great question. When you talk about North Dakota State being a developmental program, you really have to understand that they mean it. I’ll be honest with you. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wasn’t ready to play quarterback as a true freshman.

I was a third stringer. I was a really good athlete in high school, and I had some raw throwing ability. NDSU runs a real pro-style offense. They do things the right way. I showed up with a lot to learn.

I learned how to lead a group of men from Cam Miller. I learned how to prepare and how to be detail oriented. That’s how I started building confidence. My playmaking ability was now coming from the way I prepared. It wasn’t just about raw ability anymore.

Those were the biggest lessons I had to learn early.

JM: You were named the starter in 2025 and took full advantage. You applied all of those lessons you learned behind the scenes. You scored 29 touchdowns as a legitimate dual-threat quarterback. Talk about taking advantage of your opportunity. How do you reflect on all the hard work you put in behind the scenes, and how you saw it cultivate this past year?

Cole Payton: Looking back to my early years, I always had dreams of playing in the NFL. I knew it would only take one year to establish that opportunity. Looking ahead, I knew I’d get one year as the starter.

Even when I wasn’t starting, I saw every day as a fresh new opportunity. It was about having the best understanding of the playbook. It was about learning how to lead my teammates in the locker room.

When I got my opportunity, I knew I had to maximize it. That was my mentality, that’s what was at the forefront of my mind. All the decisions I made in my life leading up to that point was in preparation for the NFL. That was always on my mind.

Cole Payton North Dakota State — Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes linebacker LaVonta Bentley (20) tackles North Dakota State Bison quarterback Cole Payton (9) in the first half at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

JM: Moving forward to the pre-draft process, you've been working with Curt Truhe and Sazi Guthrie of the Excel Sports team. They got you ready for an outstanding performance at the NFL Combine. You ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds. That's a 91st-percentile result among quarterbacks. What's the training process been like?

Cole Payton: Those guys do incredible work. With me not having a track and field background, I’ve always been pretty athletic, but I’ve leaned on my natural ability. That training staff got me to hone in on the technical details.

I had to learn how to get down in a stance. It was all very technique forward. That was my biggest takeaway. Curt and Sazi, they helped me maximize my athleticism by ensuring I had great technique.

I felt like I was being invested in. I was given the confidence I needed. I trusted the process. The entire process has been phenomenal.

JM: Jake Heaps has been your quarterbacks coach. He's one of the best. He played QB in the NFL and has been Russell Wilson’s personal coach. I heard there have been some late night sessions between you two.

Cole Payton: Jake Heaps is an incredible quarterbacks coach. I jumped all over the opportunity to work with him. His background, his knowledge, it’s easy to see why he played quarterback in the NFL.

He mentored Russell Wilson. Jake Heaps worked with Will Howard last year. It was a no-brainer for me. We’ve built a pretty special relationship. He’s given me a ton of confidence in my abilities.

We’ve been two guys who love football just grinding away together. I look back on these past three months working with Jake Heaps and I’ve honestly had the best time of my life. I’ve gotten so much better.

JM: What will stick with you? What’s been the big teachable moment or takeaway?

Cole Payton: It’ll probably be how confident of a quarterback I’m becoming. More than anyone, the excellent team around me, these people really believe in me more than anything I’ve experienced. That’s what I’ve taken away from this.

I went to the NFL Combine. I played at the Senior Bowl. I’m next to all these big-name prospects and quarterbacks. They’re great players and great people. It’s been a blast to rub shoulders with guys who started in the SEC.

What I’ve realized is, wait a second, I belong here. We’re all cut from the same cloth. I can do this just as well, if not better than anyone else. That’s not meant to be a knock on them. I’ve found a ton of confidence thanks to the excellent team around me.

Cole Payton NFL Combine — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton (QB15) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

JM: You’ve earned that confidence. Part of the process of building you up as a quarterback, I want to go back to NDSU and talk about the responsibilities you had at the line of scrimmage. There are no shortcuts at North Dakota State. That’s how they run it. You weren't looking to the sidelines. You played under center. What did they ask of you? How did that prepare you for what comes next?

Cole Payton: It’s prepared me so well. You said it. We’re huddling up. This past season, we got to use helmet communication. About 75% of the time, our offensive coordinator was giving me the play call in my helmet. I had to spit the play out in the huddle.

I wasn’t reading the wristband. I wasn’t looking to the sideline. The pre-snap procedure that happens at the next level, I’ve banked a ton of reps at North Dakota State.

We’d get two plays within a play call. I had audibles, kills, and alerts within these long play calls. I had to make protection adjustments. I fully understood the run game and MIKE [linebacker] ID’s.

All of that obviously translates so well to the next level. North Dakota State gave me that experience. I’m so thankful for how the program does things. You said it, there are no shortcuts.

I definitely have a leg up on the competition.

JM: They put a ton on your plate. As a quarterback who had to manage all that, once the ball was snapped, how did you balance being aggressive to generate shot plays with taking your checkdown?

Cole Payton: You have to fall back on your process and preparation. It goes back to learning good habits at NDSU. After I’ve identified what we’re getting from the defense, and I’ve made all the necessary checks, It’s about letting loose and playing freely once that ball is snapped.

It’s about reading and reacting in real time. Of course you have to read your keys. Just go play and have fun with it. Trust your process. That’s the biggest thing that’s going through my mind at that point.

You’re just reacting to what the defense gives you.

You played some running back growing up. It showed on tape this year. You rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns. You're a big, thick, tough runner. That’s natural ability. But beyond that, your understanding of angles and how to exploit them as a runner, I think that's what stood out to me the most.

Cole Payton: I think a lot of that has to do with God-given ability and my background as a youth running back. Like I said, once that ball is snapped, there’s just a bit of an animal instinct that comes out in me.

I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s just something I do. Either you have it or you don’t. I let my instincts take over. I love running the football. I can go through them, over them, or around them. It’s a natural instinct thing.

JM: It’s so important in today’s NFL. The position has evolved. Everyone is chasing that white rabbit. The best quarterbacks in the NFL, 98% of them run the football at a high level. There must be some excitement knowing you can bring that ability to the next level.

Cole Payton: Yeah, for sure there is. The quarterback position has continued to evolve. Using my legs, using my dynamic athleticism, it’s definitely going to help me make plays for my NFL team at the next level.

JM: We’ve appreciated your time today. This has been outstanding. This conversation has highlighted why you’re the most intriguing quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. When a team uses a draft pick on Cole Payton, what kind of guy are they getting?

Cole Payton: They’re getting the ultimate competitor at quarterback. I’m just a kid who loves football. I’m going to continue being very disciplined in my approach. I respond to the good and the bad appropriately.

I’m super excited and thankful for what comes next.

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