Cole Payton stole the show at Eagles minicamp

In Philadelphia’s 2026 rookie minicamp, while Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers drew most of the spotlight as recent offensive additions, Cole Payton became the player who turned heads most among coaches and teammates after touching the ball more than anyone else. P

Philadelphia’s 2026 rookie minicamp began with a familiar kind of urgency for the Eagles: Jalen Hurts is coming off a five-year, $255 million extension, and the organization has already poured extensive assets into the defensive side of the ball.

But when it was time to look at what’s next. Philadelphia made its message clear through the draft—loading up the offense with their first five selections in the 2026 NFL Draft on new offensive players. The Birds kept building the trenches in the middle rounds. procured a new quarterback as part of the Howie Roseman QB factor. and even brought in a pair of fresh targets for Hurts’ passing game.

Those additions, Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers, were the biggest names in the early attention—starting with the first time they got action in a midnight green uniform after the Eagles came up woefully short in the Wildcard round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs.

The setting itself didn’t promise fireworks. Rookie minicamp isn’t a full-blooded joint practice with the New England Patriots. and there aren’t hard hits. sophisticated schematic clashes. or much to write home about on the field. Still, it matters—because it shows how a new player looks inside the rhythms of his new team.

So when the obvious spotlight landed on Lemon and Stowers—especially because the Eagles only had one quarterback in camp—there was one name whose impact showed up differently. The player who got the most attention from his coaches and teammates was fifth-round pick Cole Payton. He touched the ball more than any other player after a career spent at North Dakota State.

Payton’s profile jumps out fast in person. At 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, he’s almost the same size as Eli Stowers. And once the ball is in his hands past the line of scrimmage, his playstyle tracks the talent the Eagles are bringing in—because he’s built to run, not just throw.

Payton arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, and for all the noise around bigger programs, he committed to North Dakota State as a 2-star recruit instead of Texas A&M. That decision didn’t stop the production.

At North Dakota State, Payton began his career as a backup to Cam Miller, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Las Vegas Raiders last spring. He didn’t become a full-time starter until 2025, but when he finally had the keys, he used them immediately and decisively.

In the 2025 season, Payton completed 161 of his 224 passes for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns versus just six interceptions. He wasn’t only a passing quarterback, either. He also rushed 136 times for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns during that same 2025 season.

Unlike other quarterbacks the Eagles have drafted during the Hurts era—Tanner McKee. and last year’s sixth-round pick. Kyle McCord—Payton is described as a true dual-threat passer. Even with one detail that stands out—he throws with his opposite hand compared to QB1—his game is still built around threat on the move.

When Payton is asked to pick up yards on the ground. whether it’s a designated run or when he calls his own number on a passing down. he attacks it with reckless abandon. That style helped produce highlight reel moments that dazzled fans online. but it also left a mark: he had three fumbles last season.

If the Eagles ever do need to call Payton’s No. 10 this fall—though it’s described as unlikely. with him currently listed as QB4 behind Hurts. McKee. and Andy Dalton—his track record suggests he’d be able to produce both through the air and on the move. There’s also the practical advantage of having already spent time preparing with the new targets: he has six months of experience throwing balls to Lemon and Stowers.

Rookie minicamp is only the opening chapter, and once the entire team comes together, the touches—and attention—will naturally drop for any young passer. Payton is expected to slide to the bottom of the pecking order as Philadelphia gets ready for the regular season.

For a Day 3 pick, that’s often the baseline: making the 53-man roster can become a simple number game. Payton stands out as one of the exceptions, though. The Eagles don’t just have a quarterback in their camp—they may have a player who can be used in multiple ways.

Because he didn’t become a starting quarterback full-time until his final season in Fargo. Payton’s coaches gave him opportunities beyond a traditional quarterback-only routine. He took reps at tight end and running back in games, and in practice he also worked through additional drills. When the discussion turns to whether he could become a Taysom Hill-style performer at the bottom of the roster in 2026 and beyond. Payton is openly receptive.

He told The Athletic’s Zach Berman that he’s down to do whatever the Eagles want. even if that means running down returnmen on special teams: “If that’s what the team wants. if that’s what the team needs. I’m all for it. ” Payton said via Berman. “In college. I got a couple reps at running back. tight end. even in the game. so we played with that a little bit. In practice, I was doing special teams drills. As a junior. I also started on punt even as the backup quarterback. so I’ve done a little bit of it. I just love the game of football.”.

That openness sits right on a fault line the Eagles have to decide how to cross.

On one hand, risking a quarterback who the team may see as having long-term value—either as a future backup for Hurts or as someone with starting potential—on punt coverage doesn’t fit with what teams typically accept. A career-ending injury risk is real.

On the other hand. the picture changes if Philadelphia views Payton as a do-it-all bottom-of-the-roster piece in the mold of players like Trey Burton as a rookie. In that scenario. giving him reps across the field becomes less of a gamble and more of a way to maximize roster value—even if the Eagles have to plan around the possibility that he could land on IR. If that happens. the logic is that Philadelphia would likely turn to outside help before calling their QB4’s number over a meaningful stretch of games.

The Eagles’ offseason identity is still being built. and the emphasis has been clear: defensive investment since Hurts’ five-year. $255 million extension. followed by offensive momentum through the 2026 draft haul. But inside the quiet work of rookie minicamp, it wasn’t Lemon or Stowers who left the biggest imprint.

It was Cole Payton—touching the ball more than anyone else, drawing the kind of attention that doesn’t show up in box scores, and offering a skill set that could fit wherever Philadelphia needs it most.

Philadelphia Eagles Cole Payton Eli Stowers Makai Lemon Jalen Hurts 2026 NFL Draft rookie minicamp North Dakota State Howie Roseman