2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Payne Durham (TE – Purdue)

With the NFL season in the rearview mirror, FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL draft scouting reports before the combine in March. Here’s a look at Payne Durham.

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2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Payne Durham (TE – Purdue)

Payne Durham (TE – Purdue)

6’5” – 255 lbs.

Background:

Rotated into the offense in his first two seasons with the Boilermakers, catching 9-82-4 as a freshman and 16-166-3 as a sophomore before stepping into a starting role in 2021, finishing the season with a 45-467-6 (10.4) line on 59 targets. Followed that up with an even stronger senior-year of 56-560-8 before opting out of the Citrus Bowl and declaring for the draft.

Positives:

Has two years of starting experience for a major program. Very well-built tight end who is most frequently lined up as an inline “Y”, but also takes a significant amount of snaps out of the slot or as an H-Back; would often come in pre-snap motion from the latter alignment, with a mix of crack blocks and flat releases. Able to attack the outside shoulder and use his impressive functional strength and leg drive to seal. Has plenty of power in his hands to jolt opponents. Shows solid form and active hands in pass protection, resetting effectively, with the anchor to hold the point against opposing edge defenders. Uses his hands well to release at the line, and isn’t bothered much by physicality. Straight-line speed is better than his size would indicate. Maneuvers into soft spots against zone. Shows impressive focus/concentration when targeted and possesses a reliable pair of hands; only dropped eight career passes, four of which came in his sophomore season. Powerful, competitive runner after the catch who exacts a price from opposing defenders.

Negatives:

Lapses into throwing a shoulder at times instead of engaging with form, mostly when blocking on the backside from pre-snap motion. Occasionally lowers his head into contact. Smooth enough for an inline tight end, but doesn’t have very explosive movement skills to generate separation against man coverage, and some of his movements can look lumbering at times; a lot of his production in the passing game came as a safety valve against zone coverages. Caught just under half of his contested catches in school, which may be a result of letting defenders into his frame too easily at times.

Summary:

May not be the most dynamic tight end in the class, but is a very solid player overall, combining impressive size, strength, physicality, concentration, and toughness and offering the versatility to line up as an inline tight end, H-Back, or slot receiver to execute a variety of different blocking assignments and provide a reliable safety valve underneath zone coverages. Having played in a relatively pro-style offense, looks like a safe selection who should attract mid-round attention.

Projection: Round 4-5