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QBDay 1#3 QB · 2026 class★ R5 · #178
Cole Payton
North Dakota St.6'2 5/8"·232 lb
Movement Pocket Quarterback
ATH
76
DOM
48
draft score85
rank#39
Projected
Round 1-2
Drafted · Round 5 · Pick 178 · 178th overall
Now on the Eagles.
Payton suits up at /p/cole-payton
★
Special tier · broke the historical comp distribution
Unique Build · No Direct Comp
Scouting report · The One Analytics
Day 1Projected · Round 1-2Movement Pocket Quarterback
Cole Payton projects as a movement pocket quarterback. A QB out of North Dakota St. who tested with a clearly above-average athletic profile (76th composite). Combine line reads 6'2 5/8" · 232 lb, 4.56s 40, 40″ vertical, 130″ broad. College career: 199/283 for 3,190 yards · 21 TD · 6 INT across 5 seasons. Unique Build — the closest historical combine match still sits well outside typical comp distance. Dominance score 48 (trailed the cohort when adjusted for age of production).
48B-
Dominance score · college production
Below-cohort producer
Blends 20% age-weighted career volume, 45% peak single-season production, 10% breakout, and 25% position-specific efficiency.
7pct
Bottom
Career volume
20% wtage-weighted
40pct
Average
Peak season
45% wt2025
20pct
Weak
Breakout
10% wtearly-career + jump year
93pct
Elite
Efficiency
25% wtY/A · 11.27
Scouting Combine · 2026
Combine percentiles
Y · PERCENTILE vs QB CLASS · 2000–2026 baseline
73
Athletic composite
73rdSTRONG
7 of 7 metrics graded
2× Elite2× Great1× Solid2× Average
40-Yard
4.56s·94th of 421
Vertical
40.0″·98th of 370
Broad
130.0″·99th of 371
3-Cone
7.12s·54th of 338
Shuttle
4.36s·47th of 346
Arm
31.6″·46th of 160
Hand
10.3″·90th of 161
Not testedBench
4.56s94thGREAT
i
40-Yard
vs. 421
40.098thELITE
i
Vertical
vs. 370
130.099thELITE
i
Broad
vs. 371
7.12s54thSOLID
i
3-Cone
vs. 338
4.36s47thAVERAGE
i
Shuttle
vs. 346
31.646thAVERAGE
i
Arm
vs. 160
10.390thGREAT
i
Hand
vs. 161
Not testedBench
Trait grades
6 dimensions evaluated
A
Arm Talent
93th percentile · 11.80 college AYA on 283 attempts (adj. yards/att, NFL-predictive)
A
Speed
94th percentile · 4.56s 40-yard
A-
Athleticism
86th percentile · Composite of speed + explosion + agility percentiles
B-
Frame
53th percentile · 6'2 5/8" · 232 lb
B
Mobility
65th percentile · 4.56s 40 · 7.12s cone
A+
Burst
99th percentile · 40" vert · 130" broad
NFL comparisons
Top 3 historical · similarity-ranked
Closest distance · 0.77
PB
● prospect·● historical comps
- #1
Jalen Hurts
Multi Pro Bowler2020 R2 · #53 · Oklahoma · 6-1/222lb · 4.59s 40
61
sim
- #2
Anthony Richardson
Rotational2023 R1 · #4 · Florida · 6-4/244lb · 4.43s 40
60
sim
- #3
Clayton Tune
Unknown2023 R5 · #139 · Houston · 6-3/220lb · 4.64s 40
57
sim
X-Factor
Unique Build · No Direct Comp — closest historical comp sits 0.77 pooled std-dev away. Their measurable combination is genuinely uncommon.
Primary risk
Athletic profile is balanced. The primary risk is positional value, not measurable holes.
Scheme fit
Wide-zone + RPO offense that leans on his legs as a constraint defenders have to honor.
College career · ESPN
Career stats
| Season | Team | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | LNG | SACK | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | NDSU | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 6 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 50.1 |
| 2022 | NDSU | 8 | 12 | 66.7 | 51 | 4.3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 85.7 |
| 2023 | NDSU | 18 | 27 | 66.7 | 289 | 10.7 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 5 | 193.2 |
| 2024 | NDSU | 10 | 16 | 62.5 | 125 | 7.8 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 156.9 |
| 2025 | NDSU | 162 | 225 | 72.0 | 2,719 | 12.1 | 16 | 4 | 81 | 22 | 193.4 |
| Career | 199 | 283 | 70.3 | 3,190 | 11.3 | 21 | 6 | 81 | 28 | 185.3 | |
Generated by deterministic-v30 · Jun 2, 2026Workout · Combine