Payne Durham finished his Purdue career as a Mackey Award Semi-Finalist and a Second Team All-Big Ten Tight End after catching 56 passes for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Durham is a 6-6 red zone threat whose role has expanded each season at Purdue. In his first season, he converted 9 catches into 4 touchdowns and 16 catches into 3 touchdowns in his second season before taking over the top tight end role in the offense where his ability to use his size and good hands led him to be one of the best tight end threats in the Big Ten over the last couple of seasons.
Durham lacks elite speed for an NFL prospect but his large frame makes him a target for quarterbacks over the middle of the field and he has the potential to be an effective blocker on the line and on the move.
Durham took over as Aidan O’Connell’s second option in his third season after playing behind Bryce Hopkins who was drafted into the NFL two seasons ago. Durham was a catalyst for Purdue’s three-game winning streak to end this season that allowed them to win the Big Ten West for the first time in program history. In those four games, Durham caught 4 touchdown passes, including one of the best games of his career on the road at Illinois where he caught 7 passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
He finished his career with 1,275 receiving yards and will try to follow in Hopkins footsteps again making a career in the NFL.
Durham isn’t a pure receiving threat – he doesn’t have Kelce’s body control and agility or Kyle Pitt’s speed. Durham is also not a pure blocker. He doesn’t fully use his body when blocking and can get lost with his hands. That said, he’s a willing and agile mover of his body when blocking at his size. In the same way, he doesn’t offer much in the way of stretching the field, but he’s got a big body and catch radius that made him a great threat in the red zone and middle of the field. He hopes that versatility will lead to being drafted and catching on a roster.
Durham has great size at 6-6 and while he’s something of a tweener, he’s shown a willingness to block and has good ball skills. He has a decent 10 yard burst and good catch radius. He made big catches for Purdue and was good with the ball after the catch. With teams getting more and more creative in the NFL with tight ends and how they’re used in formations, Durham’s ability to blend in as a pass catcher and a blocker could lead to a fruitful NFL career.
NFL Draft Profile
Name: Payne Durham
Height: 6-6
Weight: 253 lbs.
40-Yard Dash: 4.87
10-Yard Split: 1.61
Vertical Leap: 34.5″
Broad Jump: 9’9″
NFL.com Thoughts: “Durham possesses the measurables of a Y tight end, with the ability to compete as a blocker both in-line and on the move. He still needs to add play strength as a run blocker, though. Durham lacks the speed to threaten the seam and the functional agility to beat coverage underneath. He’s been fairly involved in the Purdue passing game and has a chance to make the team as a run-blocking tight end with the potential to make tough catches.”
Strengths: Size, good hands, ability to break tackles, a balanced and controlled blocker, and potential as a multi-purpose blocker.
Weaknesses: Struggles with man coverage, lack of speed, blocking technique, and ability to break through man coverage.
Prediction: Round seven