Cole Payton was the best high school quarterback in Nebraska this past fall.
But Omaha Westside coach Brett Froendt thinks the senior honorary co-captain of the 2020 first-team Super-State football team could have several options available to him at the next level with his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame.
Froendt said he’s told Payton’s future college coaches at North Dakota State “that he could be an NFL tight end.
“I compared Cole’s testing results with the 42 tight ends in the last two NFL combines,†Froendt added. “In two events, Cole was in the top five and in two other events, he was in the top 10. And these were Cole’s testing results from his junior year of high school. There’s no telling where he would rank now, especially with all the work he puts in in the weight room.â€
The left-handed Payton’s passing skills were on full display in Westside’s 12-0 Class A state championship season as arm strength, accuracy and a deft touch on fade patterns allowed him to complete throws at all three levels.
But that was only part of Payton’s package this season. His size, strength and eagerness to participate in physical football also contributed to his success. He ran over defenders and through tackles as a ball carrier, enough to become a 1,000-yard rusher this fall.
And his 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash, which he showed off on a 90-yard touchdown run against Lincoln East in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, just added to the frustration of the opposing defenses trying to stop him.
And it didn’t matter if it was Friday night or during the week at practice.
“Cole was a tank in practice; nobody liked trying to tackle him,†Westside senior Super-State linebacker Ben Radicia said.
But Payton was also more than willing to be the lead blocker on pitch plays to junior all-state running back Dominic Rezac or make plays defensively as an outside linebacker, a position he contributed at during Westside’s playoff run.
“If he didn’t have the ball, he still wanted to participate and he was always looking for someone to hit,†Froendt said.
While Payton could certainly transition to tight end or linebacker if he wanted, his first love is quarterback. That’s why he told Nebraska “thanks, but no thanks†when they reached out to him the day after Westside won the Class A state championship last month.
North Dakota State’s recent history of sending quarterbacks such as Carson Wentz and Easton Stick to the NFL and a potential first-round draft choice in current Bison sophomore Trey Lance makes Payton comfortable with the choice he made last spring.
“North Dakota State has a great reputation at the quarterback position, and that’s something I want to be a part of,†Payton said.
When Payton first entered high school, he probably considered himself more as a baseball player. Even last year, Payton was keeping his options open in both sports before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the spring high school baseball season.
“I think the last couple years, I just got burned out of baseball,†said Payton, who pitches, plays first base and a little outfield in the spring. “You play so many (baseball) games spring and summer, and you only get nine games in football (during the regular season), so I wanted more of that.
“Plus you get to hit people,†he added with a smile.
How each member of the Super-State first-team offense left their mark this season
Omaha Westside's Cole Payton (9) celebrates the Warriors' win over Elkhorn South on Nov. 20 in the Class A state championship game in Omaha. Payton had three rushing touchdowns and two passing TDs in the Warriors' 37-21 win over the Storm.