Packers seen as prime landing spot for 2026 NFL Draft's most overlooked QB

The Green Bay Packers are a quarterback development factory. Even casual NFL fans know this to be true. They enjoyed a seamless transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love without so much as a minor hitch.

Love figures to be the main man under center for the foreseeable future. However, the Packers are known for investing draft capital in quarterbacks even when they don't have an obvious need.

Despite not owning a first-round pick, it's conceivable that Green Bay will still take a flier on a young QB in the 2026 NFL Draft. One draft guru believes the Packers should be zeroed in on one specific prospect.

ESPN draft QB rankings name Packers as best fit for North Dakota State's Cole Payton

Four-letter network NFL Draft expert Jordan Reid recently released his quarterback rankings for the 2026 rookie class, and placed Cole Payton in the No. 6 spot. Reid's hierarchy in order went Fernando Mendoza at the top, followed by Ty Simpson, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck, and Drew Allar.

A little chalky for my taste. We'll get into that in a second. Here's the key excerpt from Reid's blurb on Payton:

"Payton was the most consistent passer during Senior Bowl week. He showed consistency executing progressions, layering throws, and no hesitancy on tight-window throws over the middle of the field. Even though he's labeled as an athlete on some draft boards, Payton is a legitimate passer with upside. Because of the progress that he has shown during the predraft circuit, he's now a favorite middle-round target for teams looking for a project passer."

In his only season as North Dakota State's starter, Payton completed 72% of his throws and averaged 12.1 yards per attempt with 16 TDs and four INTs. he also ran for 777 yards and 13 scores.

Those gaudy passing numbers weren't a result of Payton dinking and dunking and Bryce Lance taking tunnel screens 80 yards to the house. Payton was legit slinging that pill all over the yard to the intermediate and deep parts of the field.

I'll say it with my chest: Cole Payton is my QB2. Tell me, is the following list of QBs decent company for Payton to share?

Having bore unfortunate witness to some film from Simpson, Nussmeier, Beck, and Allar, to me, it isn't particularly close between them and Payton re: who looks the part of an NFL quarterback.

Allar has all the physical tools in the world, but a tendency to weird-miss way too many throws. To be fair, that Penn State offensive unit was atrocious as a whole.

Simpson and Nussmeier are way slighter of frame than the 6'3", 232-pound Payton. When they tried to play banged-up this past season, they both endured significant struggles. As for Carson Beck, well, do you recall that game-sealing interception he threw against Indiana in the natty? That's about as bad as it gets on a grand stage.

The fact that Payton faced FCS competition, made only 13 starts, and has a somewhat elongated throwing motion are reasonable red flags to give anyone pause. However, it's not as if he'll be asked to start any time soon — especially if he lands in Green Bay.

Cheeseheads fans are so lucky. What a freaking run of quarterback stability over the past, what, few decades? Favre-Rodgers-Love. An absolute masterclass.

Rodgers was a late first-round pick who sat behind Favre for three years before embarking in earnest on a Hall of Fame career. Love waited in the wings for just as long until Rodgers' time was up. Once the light turned on after about a half-season's worth of starts, Love was off to the races.

Oh, and Love's last backup, Malik Willis, was sold off by the Titans for a mere seventh-round pick. He played at an elite level in relief of Love over the last two seasons, and is now the Miami Dolphins' QB1.

Safe to say the Packers know how to properly develop a quarterback. Cole Payton or any of the non-Mendoza QB prospects should be over the moon if they call Lambeau Field home.

Another reason I'm so bullish on Payton: His athleticism is very real. The 4.56 40 he ran at the Combine translates to the field. That's plenty of burst to make plays with his legs in the NFL.

Payton's collegiate journey of sticking it out in Fargo, biding his time for four seasons before he got his crack as a legitimate starter, is very much in step with how Green Bay approaches developing the position. Reid didn't mention that in his piece, but the connection here is self-evident.

The closest NFL city to Fargo is Minneapolis. Perhaps the Packers drafting Payton could block the NFC North rival Vikings from finding a potential franchise QB in the semi-local area.

That said, other positions may take precedent for Green Bay this year in the third and fourth rounds. Make no mistake about it, though: Cole Payton's stock will only continue to soar as the draft gets closer.