Rams Rookie QB Watch: It’s time to notice this FCS player

It’s time for the Rams to start watching North Dakota State’s Cole Payton.

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What is the story about?

When it comes to the NFL Draft discussion, players in the FBS have dominated the conversation. However, there is another brand of Division I college football also taking place and being done at a high level. Over the past decade, North Dakota State has dominated the FCS football landscape and they look to be favorites once again, with quarterback Cole Payton being a big reason for that. When the Los Angeles Rams last contemplated taking a quarterback in the first round in 2016, Carson Wentz was in that discussion.

Payton could enter the discussion this year.

It’s hard to ignore what Cole Payton has done at North Dakota State in 2025. While Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson lead the FBS conversation, Payton has been dominating at the FCS level. PFF has credited Payton with 21 “big time throws” this season which is second in the nation. He is also the highest-graded passer and for good reason.

Every week throughout the college football season, I have been watching some of the top quarterback prospects for 2026 and rating their performances. Payton has officially entered that conversation.

Cole Payton, North Dakota State

Over the past month or so, Cole Payton is a player that has been on my radar, but hadn’t committed to. There was one game that I had circled that he needed to prove himself and that game was on Saturday against South Dakota State. North Dakota State can be difficult to evaluate, especially at quarterback because their situation is typically much better than most FCS quarterbacks.

Additionally, they take the Alabama approach to scheduling, playing The Citadel in Week 1. While the Montana State Bobcats are playing Oregon, North Dakota State typically doesn’t schedule high-level FBS teams. Still, South Dakota State is a quality FCS opponent as they are number two in the nation. These are the two teams that have dominated the FCS over the past 10 years.

The best way to describe Payton’s play style is that he’s a lefty Ryan Tannehill as a prospect. He started this game against South Dakota State going 10-for-10 in the first half. That doesn’t mention that he added 17 rushing attempts for 137 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Payton had some NFL-caliber throws in this game, showing the ability to layer the ball between defenders and displayed good accuracy throwing outside the numbers into tight coverage.

It will be interesting to see if Payton gets some first round buzz at some point during the process. His performance against South Dakota State put a lot of people on notice. As Payton plays well into the FCS playoffs and an inevitable national championship, he’ll begin to rise.

Player Performance Rating: 9/10

Ty Simpson, Alabama

Here’s what we’re not going to do with Ty Simpson. We’re not going to overreact to one inconsistent half of football and we’re not going to helmet scout. “What about Mac Jones?” The history of college quarterbacks at Wyoming wasn’t good before Josh Allen. How many great wide receivers came from Eastern Washington and BYU? Should the Rams take Garrett Nussmeier because of Joe Burrow? Drake Maye looks like the next big thing at quarterback. The quarterback drafted in the first round before Maye from UNC was Mitch Trubisky. There may be a correlation, but there is not causation.

Simpson consistently problem solves out of structure and remains poised under pressure. When evaluating quarterbacks, and any position, it’s important to be able to project, see the vision, and understand when there is a fit. These are not finished products and you don’t avoid drafting a player because of one inconsistent half of football, especially when the rest of the sample shows otherwise. That’s not to mention his offensive coordinator is Ryan Grubb who spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL.

Simply put, Simpson may be one of the better fits for a Sean McVay style offense in this class. What’s forgotten about Simpson’s performance on Saturday was his first half. Alabama went for it on 4th-and-goal from the three yard line and Simpson got to his second read to throw a touchdown pass. The Crimson Tide got the ball back and went for it on 4th-and-1 and Simpson picked up the first down with his legs.

Simpson missed some throws in the second half. However, in the fourth quarter, he went 10-for-13 for 64 yards and a touchdown. Simpson also completed the pass to convert the two-point conversion to tie. Where the Rams will select, they are likely not going to get the perfect quarterback prospect, if that even exists. A player like Simpson who isn’t projected to go in the top-10, but projects nicely as a fit, is a very good option.

Player Performance Rating: 7.5/10

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

I haven’t talked about Diego Pavia very often this season, but it’s for the reason that he probably won’t be an option for the Rams. If the Rams take a quarterback, it will likely need to be a player that has some upside who can sit for a year or two and then take over. Pavia has a limited upside and is 24. The Rams already have an older backup quarterback with limitations and his name is Stetson Bennett.

Pavia should be in the running for the Heisman. What he’s doing this season at Vanderbilt no less is very fun to watch. However, while Pavia went 10-for-19 for 129 yards and an interception against Mizzou at home, Simpson went 23-for-31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns in what was one of the better quarterback performances this season. Pavia is going to be worth a day three pick by a team, but it’s also extremely rare to find franchise quarterbacks on day three of the draft.

Player Performance Rating: 5.5/10

John Mateer, Oklahoma

It feels like we were robbed of a special season from John Mateer when he injured his hand and required surgery midseason. He simply hasn’t been the same since. Still a quarterback at his size with his play style is always going to be susceptible to those types of injuries. We’re starting to see some of his limitations stand out more and because of that, he’s probably closer to a third round quarterback than a first round quarterback. That’s not to say he didn’t have some nice throws. He buys time, throws off balance, and changes his arm angle on his line touchdown pass. He also had a nice deep ball in the first half.

Mateer was already toeing the line between second round and third round quarterback. The injury has unfortunately probably dropped his value into the third round at minimum. Looking at the history, third round quarterbacks simply don’t pan out well with backup or mid-tier starter as the most likely outcomes. Mateer needs to string together some strong performances before a matchup against Alabama in a few weeks. It wouldn’t be surprising if this ends up being the Rams’ guy that they take a chance on. However, I have questions right now and that’s not a good thing in October.

Player Performance Rating: 6/10

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

There isn’t much more to say about Fernando Mendoza right now other than the Rams probably aren’t going to get the opportunity to draft him. UCLA had been one of the hotter teams in the country and Mendoza continued to show why he is the favorite for QB1. The stat line wasn’t special, but he still made some impressive plays with his legs and created out of structure.

Player Performance Rating: 7.5/10

Arch Manning, Texas

There wasn’t a quarterback criticized more early this season than Arch Manning. His early season performance and how he’s played the last few weeks are all the more reason he needs to return to school. It would be surprising if he declared for the NFL Draft at this point.

With that said, he is playing better. Mississippi State isn’t a top contender in the SEC by any means, but Manning threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Early in the season when it looked like Manning was struggling to complete a pass, you are starting to see that arm talent a little bit more. With games against Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Texas A&M coming up, he has an opportunity to turn things around at the right time.

Player Performance Rating: 8/10

Conner Weigman, Houston

I’ve talked about Conner Weigman a lot this year as someone who has been underrated. It was disappointing that he left the Texas Tech game with a concussion, but Houston was also over-matched in that game. In every other game this season, Weigman has played very well.

Houston’s game against Arizona State was one I was locked into on Saturday and Weigman once again impressed. He finished with 200 yards passing and a touchdown to go with over 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns. Weigman may not be a first-round quarterback, but simply put, not enough people are talking about his current level.

Player Performance Rating: 7.5/10

Others Worth Mentioning

Carson Beck, Miami

I was impressed with how Carson Beck responded after a poor game against Louisville. The stat line wasn’t special because of how Miami dominated this game from start to finish, but Beck was back to his efficient self. His lone touchdown was a nicely placed back-corner fade in the end zone. It should be smooth sailing for Beck the rest of the year, but he still needs to take care of business. Saturday was a good first step to him leading the Hurricanes back into national championship contention.

Taylen Green, Arkansas

The arm talent and athleticism are clearly there for Green. At the same time, it’s hard to ignore three interceptions in the fourth quarter of a conference game. One of those interceptions was a pick six to give Auburn the lead. The issue with Green is that he is an experienced quarterback. He has 49 career games under his belt. Those are mistakes that simply can’t happen.

Sam Leavitt, Arizona State

Leavitt needs to look at what happened with Drew Allar, Garrett Nussmeier, and others who remained committed to their programs before their draft stock tanked. Leavitt probably needs to transfer from Arizona State to a better program. Leavitt got injured in this game and clearly wasn’t 100 percent after playing well the last few weeks.

What to do about QBs in bad situations

In today’s football landscape, we want to put everything on the quarterback. However, situation matters a lot more than we want it to sometimes. When evaluating quarterbacks, it’s very difficult to separate the quarterback from the situation.

There are a few prime examples of this happening right now. There is no denying LaNorris Sellers’ talent. The South Carolina offensive line and his offensive coordinator have done him no favors. What do you do about Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier? Those are two guys that remained committed to their programs for the worse. Allar and Nussmeier are talented and both of their head coaches got fired.

It’s hard to call Penn State and LSU ‘bad’ situations, but the coaching didn’t necessarily put their quarterbacks in the best position to succeed. Unfortunately, we can only go off of what we see on tape, and those guys certainly haven’t helped themselves. Still, the situation hasn’t done them favors either.