The Philadelphia Eagles added a fourth quarterback to their roster on Saturday, selecting North Dakota State’s Cole Payton in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Eagles have starting quarterback Jalen Hurts with Tanner McKee and veteran Andy Dalton on the depth chart, but can Payton make a push for backup duties in 2026? It’s possible.
Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni Evaluates QB Cole Payton
Speaking with the media on Sunday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni explained the rationale behind drafting Payton. His dual-threat abilities and penchant for impressive plays caught the eye of the Eagles.
“Really, really athletic, really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game, made great decisions with the football, accurate passer — 72 percent last year as a starter, and you can’t be that unless you’re making good, accurate throws and going the right place with the ball,” Sirianni said, per Michael Davis Smith of Pro Football Talk. “There are some wow plays on his tape that are really impressive. I think I charted four times he jumped over somebody. I wrote down, ‘He’s the best athlete on the field.’”
Payton, 23, stands 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds and has one year of starting experience at North Dakota State. Payton completed 71.9% of his passes last season for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Payton also rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns. Payton rushed for 1,918 yards and 31 touchdowns during his college career.
Payton’s dual-threat skillset pairs well with Jalen Hurts’ abilities. While Payton’s time with Philadelphia is in its infancy, if Sirianni felt that Payton was the best athlete on the field at times, could he receive playing time as a rookie?
“We’ll see how that goes, get him here, get him acclimated here, have a chance next weekend at rookie minicamp learning the playbook, then we’ll see where it goes from here,” Sirianni said.
Payton went 12-1 as a starter at North Dakota State and brings Philadelphia a strong arm with accuracy and a physical yet fast running style. Payton ran an impressive 4.56 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and per NFL Next Gen Stats, Payton’s athleticism score of 80 ranked No. 3 at quarterback for combine participants.
NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay recently called Payton “the most underrated prospect in the entire draft” and “might have the highest upside of any quarterback in this class.”
“Those teams view his development and value through a two-phased lens,” McShay explained. “Phase 1 is to get value out of Payton in short-yardage and goal-line packages early in his career. And if developed properly during the first phase, Phase 2 is to let him compete for the starting job a couple of years down the road.”
The Eagles have Jalen Hurts signed through 2028, a player who has a Super Bowl win and Super Bowl MVP on his resume. While Payton won’t realistically push Hurts for the starting job anytime soon, he could take the load off Hurts in certain short-yardage situations.
As good as Hurts’ rushing prowess is, those hits take their toll throughout a season and career. Payton already has the stature and rushing prowess to contribute in some form out of the gate. This could be a situation where it’s not a matter of if Payton sees the field during the regular season, it’s just a matter of when.
