Daron Payne (/dəˈrɒn/ də-RON; born May 27, 1997) is an American football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he won the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and was named its most valuable player on defense, before being drafted by Washington in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.