Hogs Haven takes a look at 2023 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Payne Durham, TE
School: Purdue| Conference: Big Ten
College Experience: RS Senior | Age: 22
Height / Weight: 6’5” / 258 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 4th-6th Round
Player Comparison: Daniel Bellinger
College Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2019 | Purdue | Big Ten | FR | TE | 7 | 9 | 82 | 9.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 82 | 9.1 | 4 | |
| 2020 | Purdue | Big Ten | SO | TE | 6 | 16 | 166 | 10.4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 166 | 10.4 | 3 | |
| *2021 | Purdue | Big Ten | JR | TE | 10 | 45 | 467 | 10.4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 467 | 10.4 | 6 | |
| *2022 | Purdue | Big Ten | SR | TE | 13 | 56 | 560 | 10.0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 57 | 564 | 9.9 | 8 |
| Career | Purdue | 126 | 1275 | 10.1 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 127 | 1279 | 10.1 | 21 | ||||
Player Overview
It’s hard to believe Payne Durham did not begin playing football until his senior year of high school. Durham’s sport of choice until that point: lacrosse. He parlayed 33 catches into a three-star prospect rating that caught the attention of Purdue. He saw his number of targets increase each year while maintaining about a 10 yard per catch average. This past season, he put up career highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns in what is only his fifth year playing the sport.
Strengths
- Prototypical size for the position
- Long-strider helps him cover ground quickly
- Makes tough, contested catches
- Competitive blocker
Weaknesses
- May struggle to separate from defenders in the NFL
- Could stand to improve his route running
- A good blocker, but needs to sink hips and improve leverage
Let’s see his work
Purdue TE Payne Durham scores the go ahead TD here with under a minute left, but refs flag him for OPI, Purdue then ends up throwing an INT and Minnesota wins the game pic.twitter.com/Fc7RLL1iBh
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) November 21, 2020
Payne Durham TE from Purdue with the INSANE catch in double coverage and Cody Mauch with the OL SPIKE! pic.twitter.com/5OxG9Es5yD
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) February 2, 2023
Purdue TE Payne Durham. Good blocker.#SeniorBowl #NFLdraft pic.twitter.com/cbTjmUmikM
— Steph Sanchez (@Steph49K) February 1, 2023
How he fits on the Commanders
Durham’s attitude is something I’d love to see at the Commanders’ tight end position. He is a capable blocker and has shown solid ability as a pass catcher with some possible run after the catch potential. Although he did not run the ball much, Purdue lined him up as an HB at times which he might be able to do at the next level. Is that enough to warrant a draft pick? The Commanders might move on from Logan Thomas and no one else on the roster demonstrated starter-level ability this past season. Cole Turner and Armani Rogers are all potential and John Bates ceiling appears to be TE2. Durham could come in and should be just as good a blocker as Bates while offering a little bit more in the passing game. Durham is just scratching the surface of what he can do.
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