North Dakota St.
Measurables
6'2 5/8"
232 lb
Special tier · broke the historical comp distribution
Unique Build · No Direct Comp
Scouting report · The One Analytics
Day 1Projected · Round 1-2Cole Payton projects as a movement pocket quarterback — a QB from North Dakota St. who tested with an elite athletic profile (81th 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 53 (matched the cohort when adjusted for age of production).
Dominance score · multi-component
Cohort-average producer
Blends four cohort percentiles — 35% age-weighted career volume, 40% peak single-season production, 15% breakout (early-career + jump year), 10% position-specific efficiency. Prospects with off-the-chart seasons earn a bonus on top.
Career volume
35%13th
age-weighted
Peak season
40%67th
2025
Breakout
15%47th
early-career + jump year
Efficiency
10%93th
Y/A · 11.27
Trait grades · 6 dimensions
Arm Talent
53th percentile · Frame-only proxy (no on-field tape grading in this build) — 6'2 5/8"
Speed
94th percentile · 4.56s 40-yard
Athleticism
86th percentile · Composite of speed + explosion + agility percentiles
Frame
53th percentile · 6'2 5/8" · 232 lb
Mobility
65th percentile · 4.56s 40 · 7.12s cone
Burst
99th percentile · 40" vert · 130" broad
NFL comparisons · top 3 historical
Closest distance · 0.77Jay Cutler
2006 R1 · #11 · Vanderbilt · 6-3/226lb · 4.77s 40
61
sim
Jalen Hurts
2020 R2 · #53 · Oklahoma · 6-1/222lb · 4.59s 40
61
sim
Anthony Richardson
2023 R1 · #4 · Florida · 6-4/244lb · 4.43s 40
60
sim
Scheme fit
Wide-zone + RPO offense that leans on his legs as a constraint defenders have to honor.
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 — primary risk is positional value, not measurable holes.
Generated by deterministic-v5 · Apr 19, 2026Workout · Combine
Scouting Combine · 2026
Athletic composite
5 of 6 metrics graded
40-Yard
vs. 421
Vertical
vs. 370
Broad
vs. 371
3-Cone
vs. 338
Shuttle
vs. 346
Bench
No data
Frame measurables · arm / hand / wingspan
Athletic composite
2 of 3 metrics graded
Arm
vs. 160
Hand
vs. 161
Wingspan
No data
College career · ESPN
| 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 | |