Steelers Host North Dakota State QB Cole Payton on Top 30 Visit

Cole Payton, the left-handed North Dakota State quarterback listed at 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, was officially hosted on a Steelers Top 30 pre-draft visit March 20, a sign the team moved him into a late-stage evaluation bracket reserved for extended interviews and medical checks. Multiple Pittsburgh trackers logged Payton as a non-local Top 30 visitor on March 20 and local coverage reported the Bison signal-caller flew to Pittsburgh for an in-person meeting. ([steelersnow.com](steelersnow.com/pittsburgh-steelers-2026-pre-draft-visitor-tracker/))

Pittsburgh’s interest began on the ground in Fargo: quarterbacks coach Tom Arth and area scout Jim Ward traveled to North Dakota State’s pro day to watch Payton throw, part of a pre-draft homework effort that preceded the Top 30 invite. Top 30 visits are league-allotted meetings teams use for deeper interviews and late-process re-checks, which indicates the Steelers wanted more than a quick look after the March pro day. ([steelersnow.com](steelersnow.com/steelers-check-out-dark-horse-qbs-pro-day/))

Payton’s 2025 on-field resume explains the attention: he completed 161 of 224 passes for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 136 rushes for 777 yards and 13 rushing scores as NDSU’s starter in a 12-1 season, numbers that accompanied school single-season records for pass efficiency (193.8), yards per attempt (12.1) and total offense per play (9.71). He finished third in Walter Payton Award voting at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show in Nashville, collecting 94 points behind Beau Brungard (177) and Taron Dickens (138). ([espn.com](espn.com/college-football/player/gamelog/_/id/4879250/cole-payton))

Scouting translates into clear upside and worklists: evaluators praise Payton’s size, arm power and designed-run/play-extension traits but flag inconsistent mechanics and processing under center. Professional analysts on the pro-day beat noted those tools and limitations, and Payton’s PFF profile adds a surprising wrinkle — a top-tier graded season, with a 95.9 overall PFF grade listed as first among qualified college quarterbacks, reinforcing why some draft voices have moved him from a fringe prospect to a priority project. At the same time, conservative internal grades have placed him as a Day 3 or developmental QB3, with some outlets drawing stylistic comparisons to Tim Tebow for his rushing profile. ([steelersnow.com](steelersnow.com/steelers-check-out-dark-horse-qbs-pro-day/))

The tape-plus-precedent case is simple: North Dakota State has recently supplied NFL teams with quarterbacks they felt they could mold — Carson Wentz went early in 2016 and Trey Lance was a top-three pick in 2021 — creating a template for franchises willing to trade draft capital for athletic, dual-threat FCS QBs. Pittsburgh’s decision to spend a Top 30 visit, and to send in-person staff to Fargo, telegraphs the franchise is weighing Payton as a low-risk, high-upside back-end QB who can be “gamified” into RPOs, packaged plays and designated-run packages while passing fundamentals are cleaned up. ([si.com](si.com/nfl/2016/04/29/nfl-draft-philadelphia-eagles-carson-wentz))

The louder public endorsement came from Todd McShay on The Rich Eisen Show April 6, when McShay called Payton “the most underrated prospect in the entire draft” and projected him as a Day 2 pick, a view that contrasts with more conservative Day 3 takes and underscores the range of opinion NFL evaluators must reconcile before the draft. For Payton the March 20 Top 30 visit was the concrete step from pro-day curiosity to a team’s active decision window: Pittsburgh will now decide if his 6-3, 233-pound frame and dual-threat production are worth drafting late or signing as a priority undrafted free agent. ([steelersnow.com](steelersnow.com/potential-steelers-pick-tabbed-as-most-underrated-player-in-draft/))