An undersized, four-year Air Force nose guard chasing a spot among the small handful of Falcons to reach the NFL.
Payton Zdroik built a productive four-year career as a nose guard at Air Force despite giving up significant size to nearly every opponent he faced. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft, hoping to become just the 13th Air Force Academy graduate to play in an NFL game.
Path to the league
Zdroik is a second-generation Falcon, following his father Daniel Zdroik, who also played football at Air Force, and his mother Kelly Fedel, a swimmer for the academy. He became a four-year starter under coach Troy Calhoun and went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft before signing with the Rams.
Career highlights
Despite standing just 6 feet and 275 pounds, well undersized for an interior defensive lineman, Zdroik finished his Air Force career with 14 sacks, which ranks eighth in program history, and 29 tackles for loss. He earned second-team All-Mountain West honors as a senior and was named to the Lombardi Award preseason watch list in 2025.
2025 season recap
Zdroik anchored the Air Force defensive line as a senior nose guard in 2025, drawing preseason recognition on the Lombardi Award watch list and closing his college career with second-team All-Mountain West honors. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent after the draft, looking to beat long odds as a service academy product in the NFL.
Sources
- Air Force Academy Athletics: Payton Zdroik named to the Lombardi Award Preseason Watchlist
- Colorado Springs Gazette: Air Force DL Payton Zdroik signs with Rams as undrafted free agent
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Air Force
- Hometown
- Brentwood, CA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
