The Eagles waited around for over four hours before making their first selection on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and with their pick, they selected quarterback Cole Payton out of North Dakota State University. Payton is now the second QB taken by Philadelphia out of NDSU, following in the footsteps of Carson Wentz a decade earlier.
Howie Roseman once infamously called Philadelphia a QB factory, and Payton’s addition would qualify. The team didn’t bring back last year’s draft pick, Kyle McCord, but
did trade for veteran Andy Dalton this offseason. That means Payton will be entering a QB room that includes Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, and Dalton. Some think this moves indicates that McKee is closer to being traded, but he could just be a practice squad, developmental guy to bring in now before McKee leaves next year in free agency.
Here’s what some analysts from around the league had to say about Payton:
