Payton Thorne 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Payton Thorne 2025 NFL Draft Profile

This one won’t take very long. Mostly because it will be a challenge to come up with how many ways I can say the same player sucks over and over again. Sorry, not sorry, but Payton Thorne can’t play a lick and I’m not sure how it’s arguable.

Thorne, 24 this Summer, was a three star duel threat QB recruit coming out of the state of Illinois back in the 2018 recruiting class. It was three years at Michigan State followed by two at Auburn. Really two years with the Spartans because he played sparingly making three starts as a freshman.

We can go through these stats all you want to. I’m just not sure there’s a point. Thorne was never really on my radar at Michigan State and when he was, it was for all the wrong reasons. His best year ever was as a sophomore when he threw for 27 touchdowns and 10 picks at barely over 60%. The problem is he took a step backward the following year and really just more so started to prove that he’s just a run around guy who isn’t overly physically imposing. Combined with the fact that he wasn’t accurate or a good decision maker.

All you have to do is look at Jayden Reed’s production in college. Reed has since become a really good player with the Packers. 2021, Reed goes over 1,000 yards at a 17.4 yards per catch clip. The following year he’s at 636 yards and 11.4 yards per catch.

I don’t really have an answer on that. Maybe defensive coaches caught on. Maybe he’s just on the older side and hit his peak ability sooner. I’m not sure but regardless, what followed only became more terrible. One of the biggest things in scouting is when a player tells you who they are, you have to believe him.

A: Keon Coleman left Michigan State and his number one factor was he wasn’t willing to play another snap with Thorne as his QB.

B: Thorne left Michigan State because his weapons Coleman and Reed bailed on him. The guy transfers to Auburn and he helps Hugh Freeze tank to his worst coaching job ever. Auburn went 11-14 during the Thorne tenure, which is a .440 win percentage. Freeze doesn’t have lower than a .609% win percentage at any of the other three schools he coached at.

Again, we can run through the stats but I don’t think it’s necessary. Playing with the big boys in the SEC even at an advanced age, Thorne was exposed. He sucked so bad that he revealed Auburn fans were making Venmo requests from him. The guy was totally unplayable while playing for a coach who notoriously produced high scoring offenses. Malik Willis put up more stats than Thorne in college and the Titans couldn’t wait to get rid of Willis.

I said all that you need to know on his Auburn tenure throughout the year. I talked about it plenty in the Stock Report notes. I talked about it even last year too. He’s unplayable bad.

It was more of the same at the East-West game. It’s to the point where he makes you want to throw up watching him. He brings nothing to the table beyond have some wheels while not being totally undersized at 6-foot-2. The throwing part of his game is high school level bad. Based on the quarterbacks who were at the East-West, I’d put him as easily the worst performer including both groups.

KJ Jefferson 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Thorne didn’t get a Combine invite despite the fact that they were so desperate for throwers that Matt Corral helped out. Trust me, it wouldn’t have even been worth inviting Thorne. He’s a totally undrafted player and it’s a joke if someone even invites him on a preseason roster.

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