Pittsburgh Steelers fans are nearing a point of desperation at the quarterback position. One week, we hear that Aaron Rodgers could be ready to run it back in 2026; the next, no one is so sure. With a weak draft class and an uninspiring selection otherwise on the free agent and trade markets, the team is running out of options.
However, one new name in the draft class might be enough to feed that desperate feeling in the Steel City. NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, backed by the opinions of anonymous league executives, recently introduced the NFL world to a reportedly rising name in the 2026 NFL Draft class: North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound FCS passer appears to have the tools to catch scouts’ eyes ahead of April’s draft in Pittsburgh. And if his stock rises as high as La Canfora’s sources believe it could, then Pittsburgh might just have a target worth considering in the first round.
Pittsburgh Steelers nearing desperation, NDSU QB Cole Payton’s first-round buzz is starting to feel real
According to La Canfora’s report, Payton has QB2 buzz in the 2026 class, with one league executive suggesting that Payton could be just as good as projected No.1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. That has teams wondering if they should spend a first-round pick on him.
“Two or three years from now, I think he can be there with (Mendoza),” a league executive source told La Confora. “We think he’s gone early two (second-round). And somebody probably shot on him at the end of day one. Everything I’ve been telling you about him since November, people who are doing the work are seeing it too. This kid can play.”
Another executive echoed those thoughts, suggesting that even if teams fall on a Day 2 grade for Payton, the allure of a fifth-year option for a quarterback could push a team to take him in round one.
“He’s QB 2 for me, yeah. The more I watch, the more I like. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him myself, but we hear he’s a really good kid. I like his decision-making, I see above-average arm strength and accuracy. He has the body. I think he has a good left-handed release. He can run some… It’s not a good class at all, but he has some upside. Second round, but you know what that means. Somebody might want the fifth-year option (which teams get on first-round picks).”
Of course, as La Canfora pointed out, Payton isn’t exactly included on the mock drafts you see on a daily basis coming from every publication on the internet. At least, not yet anyway.
Still, Payton wouldn’t be the first North Dakota State Bison quarterback to catch some attention. Carson Wentz and Trey Lance were both top-3 picks in their respective draft classes, though both had plenty of buzz at the beginning of the draft process, as compared to Payton, who is still very much under the radar. It’s not lost on Steelers fans that neither Wentz nor Lance panned out as NFL starters, though to Wentz’s credit, he had a strong start before an ACL tear disrupted his career.
Helmet scouting is never fair, but with NDSU, it’s made more difficult because the program has offered playmakers at many other positions. Still, the program has long been dominant at the FCS level, making quarterback evaluations more difficult to translate to the pro level. The Bison will move to FBS next season, but that doesn’t do much for Payton’s scouting report.
Payton was a one-year starter for the Bison, completing 72% of his passes for 2,719 yards with 16 touchdowns to four interceptions. He also rushed for 777 yards and 13 scores on the ground. The Bison went 12-0 in the regular season, but fell in the second round of the playoffs to Illinois State by one point. In that loss, Payton completed just four of 12 passes for 101 yards and a score.
Bleacher Report’s scouting report on Payton pegged him as a fourth-round talent, with his grades matching the likes of Carson Strong and Tanner McKee, who Steelers’ fans have happened to learn more about over the past week. Still, his pro comp was listed as Super Bowl Champion Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a prime example of a quarterback who doesn’t have every tool as a passer, but has the mental toughness and athleticism to lead a championship contender past the finish line.
No doubt, Steelers Nation would be split in some regard if Hurts were the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh instead of Philadelphia, and having a similar player in Payton wouldn’t change that. Still, if most of Payton’s comps are good enough for the Eagles (McKee and Hurts were drafted by Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Strong was an undrafted free agent signing by Philly), then it stands to reason that Pittsburgh should at least pay attention to Payton as the draft process unfolds.
Payton didn’t exactly steal the show at the Senior Bowl, but he still has the NFL Combine and a Pro Day to make another impression on teams around the league, including the Steelers. At the very least, Steelers fans have some reason to keep an eye on the FCS-level quarterback to get a sense of how they’d feel about him wearing the black and gold, and where they’d prefer the Steelers to draft him, if he winds up on their radar.