June 09, 2026
As we do every offseason, we'll be comparing each of the Philadelphia Eagles' rookies to current or former NFL players. Today we'll find a comp for fifth-round quarterback Cole Payton.
EAGLES ROOKIE COMP SERIES
Makai Lemon | Eli Stowers | Markel Bell
Payton was a one-year starter at NDSU, and against lower level competition. But, he's 6'3, 232, and he runs a 4.56 40, so he certainly has appealing size and athletic measurables.
In his one year as a starter, Payton completed 161 of 224 passes (71.9%) for 2719 yards (12.1 YPA!), 16 TDs, and 4 INTs. He ran 136 times for 777 yards and 13 TDs. Payton is a developmental quarterback, but he has talent. Here's a highlight reel, and as you'll see Payton is a lefty:
A common player Payton has been comped to because of his running ability is Taysom Hill, who played quarterback, tight end, running back, and a variety of special teams roles over the years for the Saints.
If we're just looking purely at quarterbacks, the player Payton reminds me of a bit is Mitchell Trubisky.
To begin, their physical measurables:
| Measurable | Cole Payton | Mitchell Trubisky |
| Height | 6'3 | 6'2 |
| Weight | 232 | 222 |
| Hand size | 10 1/4" | 9 1/2" |
| 40 time | 4.56 | 4.67 |
| 3-cone | 7.12 | 6.87 |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.36 | 4.25 |
Both quarterbacks have solid builds and can run a little. Both quarterbacks were also just one-year starters in college, and they had both had efficient TD-INT ratios and high completion percentages:
| Quarterback | Comp-Att (Comp %) | Yards (YPA) | TD-INT | Rush yards |
| Trubisky (UNC) | 304-447 (68.0%) | 3748 (8.4) | 30-6 | 308 |
| Payton (NDSU) | 161-224 (71.9%) | 2719 (12.1) | 16-4 | 777 |
Like Payton, Trubisky could make off-schedule plays and throw on the run. He also made plays with his legs.
As you can see in the above videos, Trubisky and Payton both threw with good touch to all three levels of the field, though Trubisky had better arm strength.
Trubisky got wildly over-drafted at No. 2 overall. Payton probably got a little under-drafted in the fifth round.
Next up: OG Micah Morris
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