The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing their research on the 2026 NFL Draft's crop of quarterbacks. They formally met with four at the NFL Scouting Combine, and apparently have their eye on another.
Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth and scout Jim Ward were in attendance at North Dakota State's pro day on Thursday to watch signal-caller Cole Payton.
"Payton is a dual-threat, single-season FCS starter with good size," NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in a scouting report. "He's a lefty with shoddy mechanics and subpar arm talent, but he still manages to deliver throws with touch to all three levels … Payton projects as a QB3 and will require packaged plays to take advantage of his rushing ability until he proves himself a functional pocket passer."
Payton steered the Bison to a 12-1 record last season and finished third in voting for the Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the FCS's offensive player of the year. He passed for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns. For his career, he punched it in 31 times.
As a fifth-year senior, Payton set North Dakota State single-season record for pass efficiency (193.8), yards per pass attept (12.1) and total offensive yards per game (289.6).
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Check Out Dark Horse QB's Pro Day
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