The Arizona Cardinals are one of three teams North Dakota State University quarterback Cole Payton has “met extensively” with, according to KPRC 2 NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.
Wilson added that Payton has visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts and had extensive meetings with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets in addition to Arizona.
The Bisons quarterback lit it up as a senior in the FCS, completing 72% of his passes for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. Payton also collected 1,919 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground across his five college seasons.
Payton is the fourth quarterback in this year’s draft class to have met with the Cardinals for a pre-draft visit. Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Miami’s Carson Beck and Penn State’s Drew Allar are the others.
The Bisons quarterback could be an option for the Cardinals to draft on Day 3 if they want a bit of a development project, according to NFL analyst Dane Brugler.
“Cole Payton for North Dakota State is another one of those developmental guys that has a long way to go,” Brugler told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on April 9. “But he’s a really good athlete and what he put on film this year at the FCS level definitely has your attention.
“But, we’re talking early Day 3, fourth-round types that, chances are, they’re not gonna turn into NFL starters. But if you want to throw a dart, those guys would make sense.”
The other two quarterbacks Brugler was refering two were Allar and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Simpson is the only guy among the selected who is expected to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second round.
The NFL Draft begins on Thursday with the first round and will continue into the weekend. The Cardinals have seven picks (No. 3, No. 34, No. 65, No. 104, No. 143, No. 183, No. 217), and their biggest needs are along the offensive line, at edge rusher and quarterback.
