Cole Payton

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, receiving second-team All-MVFC honors in 2025. Payton 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. 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. Payton committed to play college football at North Dakota State. He maintained his commitment despite late recruiting pushes from Iowa State and Nebraska to be a walk on. He is a left-handed thrower.

College career Payton played in three games during his true freshman while maintaining a redshirt on the season. 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. 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. Payton was named the starting quarterback going into his redshirt senior season.

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 0Career 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

Payton was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round with the 178th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He officially signed a rookie scale contract for four-years, $4.62 million on May 1.

Payton made his professional debut on August 15, 2026 during the first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, where he completed 4 out of 9 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.