Payne Durham 2023 NFL Draft Profile
This tight-end class is touted as being stacked. But with a stacked class comes those who find themselves towards the bottom of the group, not really getting any shine. Payne Durham from Purdue fits that mold. A production machine in college not really getting a lot of love and projection to the next level. What does his NFL Draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
Durham was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class, ranked 14th in the group. In his first two years, he saw 18 games, catching a combined 15 catches for 248 yards and seven touchdowns. He was heavily involved his last two years, going for 101 catches, 1,027 yards and 14 touchdowns — 21 touchdowns with just 116 catches is a ratio that’s quite nice.
I didn’t have much on him from the Senior Bowl this year. Not much from Trey about his performance at the combine this year either. If you want to read his tight end notes, click here.
The production shows he has a nose for the end zone — I like that. His frame is built to withstand more weight added on, with a long wingspan. He uses this frame to block off linebackers in the middle of the field for the catch. Hands on the softer side. For being a little bit on the slower side, Durham’s got a nice release off the line.
I just don’t really see NFL-level talent here. He will struggle to create separation without top speed. He often lets the ball come to him instead of going and getting it. Could stand to put on some strength to hold up blocks. Purham just doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency at the top of his routes.
Payne Durham gets a seventh-round grade from me. If you want to bring him in and have him work out to make the special teams unit while he works on his game, go for it. He’s shown he can produce. But can you trust him to be able to make plays in your offense? I’m not so sure.
