The Philadelphia Eagles brought plenty of intriguing talent during the NFL Draft but one of the more intriguing picks was fifth-round quarterback Cole Payton. A dual-threat from North Dakota State, Payton has a skill set that could be a weapon in the short term and a developmental project for the long haul. But some may believe that Payton’s ceiling could eventually threaten Jalen Hurts as a starting quarterback.
All of this makes Payton a player to watch this summer but NFL analyst Greg Cosell isn’t buying the hype. During an appearance on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast, Cosell revealed he thinks Payton has a steep learning curve entering the NFL and may not be much of a threat to Hurts’s job.
“You have re-work so much with Cole Payton just in terms of fundamental mechanics,” Cosell explained. “There’s a lot of things that he needs to fix. He’s a significant work in progress.”
Cole Payton has a long road to potentially becoming Eagles’ QB1
Cosell continued by breaking down his issues including where he holds the ball in the pocket and throwing with a wide base that limits his power on deep throws such as dig routes downfield. But he also noted that Payton has plenty of athletic ability that could help him succeed when those issues are ironed out.
“He’s got this swagger to him. He’s got this running dimension to him,” Cosell said. “He’s big. He’s physical. Obviously, he got drafted in the fifth round by the Eagles, he’s not their starting quarterback. Who knows what their plans are for him down the road.”
Looking at lone season as a starter with the Bison, it’s clear what the Eagles were seeing. The left-hander completed 72% of his passes for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions for NDSU last fall and added 777 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground while setting school records for total offense per game (268.9 yards) and yards per play (9.71).
That ability could also make some believe he could take over for Hurts on the Tush Push or an all-purpose role similar to how Taysom Hill has been used by the New Orleans Saints. But even Cosell believes that would hinder his development as a quarterback and that developing him in the shadows would be a better idea.
“A lot of people are saying ‘Well, he can be Taysom Hill. I always struggle with that,” Cosell said. “…I think you want to spend all your time with him teaching him how to play quarterback. But again, they’re trying to win games and if they think he can help them win games on Sunday by being Taysom Hill, hey, that’s what they’ll do. But I think you really have to start from scratch with him and really teach him the mechanics of the quarterback position.”
If all goes well, it could be a wild card in Hurts’s future. Hurts won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2023 and is on a five-year, $255 million contract extension that runs through 2028. But his numbers have declined over the past two seasons and the 2027 is the final year with guaranteed money remaining on his deal according to Over The Cap.
The Eagles have done their best to give Hurts everything he needs this season, trading up for Makai Lemon in the draft, trading for Dontayvion Wicks and replacing Kevin Patullo with Sean Mannion at offensive coordinator. But if Hurts doesn’t succeed, it could open the door for a different quarterback to assume the role.
For now, Cosell doesn’t believe that quarterback will be Payton. But Hurts could silence all of the rumors if he plays well in 2026.
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