No. 96, Purdue TE Payne Durham
Marcedes and Robert Tonyan will both be on the open marketplace this offseason. These two could be on their way out of the door or retiring, so the Green Bay Packers This offseason, we will need to deal with the tight end position.
The 2023 NFL Draft features a number of talented tight ends. A player that Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay’s general manager could target on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft is Payne Durham. The Purdue tight finish is at No. 96 in Unpacking Future Packers’ countdown.
Durham didn’t start playing football until his senior year at Peachtree Ridge High School in Georgia. Durham had previously played lacrosse before deciding to play football his final year.
Durham was redshirted in 2018 after catching four touchdowns on nine receptions. Durham was awarded three receiving touchdowns the following season.
Durham was able to catch 45 receptions, totalling 467 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. Durham caught 56 receptions last season, totaling 560 yards with eight touchdowns.
“This was a breakout season for Durham,” Andrew Ledman of Hammer and Rails said. “In years past he’d been forced to share the spotlight with other productive tight ends and he never really had a chance to be the man at the position. He was able to take advantage of this opportunity, and he did. Being paired with a guy like Charlie Jones, and an emergent running back in Devin Mockobee forced defenses to focus on players other than Durham and allowed him the room to work.”
Durham is 6-5 and weighs in at 260lbs. His strong, reliable hands make him a formidable target. The Purdue tight-end was only dropped two times and was targeted 77 total times in the past season. Durham uses his size well to catch passes from his frame and outmuscle the defenders in the middle of field. This past season, he had 56 receptions. 32 of those resulted in first downs for Purdue.PFF).
Durham has some limitations in terms of his athletic abilities. He’s not going to run a blazing 40 at the combine and he lacks burst in and out of his breaks. He’s a big fan of the angle route. This led to a few chain-moving receptions.
“Durham is good at finding his spots,” Ledman said. “He’s certainly not the best route runner in the world but he’s solid. Plus, he’s improved his hands from last year and that allows the QB the freedom to put the ball where only Durham can get it.”
Although Durham isn’t the fastest guy on the field, with his size and toughness he’s a load to take down for defensive backs. Durham is usually able to be stopped once he’s downfield. PFF reported that Durham ran 263 yards after the catch.
“Probably his toughness,” Ledman said. “You can really see this in the game against Maryland. When Purdue needed a big play he was there and he’s a big strong guy who is tough to bring down. He caught a 56 yard catch that no one could stop him from making. He’s just a big tough guy who is hard to tackle and that’s what you want in a tight end.”
Durham just started playing football six years ago and a team won’t be drafting him for his run or pass-blocking chops. That’s an area of his game where he’s continuing to improve. He puts in the effort to be a blocker. However, he needs to do better at sustaining his blocks and protecting the edge as a run-blocker.
“Blocking is not what Durham was asked to do as a primary role,” Ledman said. “He’s a pass-catching tight end first but when given the opportunity he certainly holds his own.”
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Josiah Deguara currently is the Packers’ tight end. Gutekunst will likely seek to add more tight ends during the 2023 draft. Durham, with his size, reliability, and toughness is a target for day three.
“Honestly, I’d draft him in the later rounds because I think he’ll offer a lot of value,” Ledman said. “Durham is a reliable pass-catching tight end that’s hard to bring down. He is a great safety net in times of trouble. Despite it not being his strong suit he’s certainly improved as a blocker and I would imagine that will continue to be the case moving forward.”
The Packers are currently in a tight end depth chart. Deguara proved this season that he is capable of being a blocker, and he also showed that he has the ability to play a more important role in the passing game.
Durham, with his size and strength, could be a safety net for Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers in his rookie season. Not only that, but he could help remedy Green Bay’s red zone issues. Durham has also played 228 special team snaps in the last two seasons.
Durham may never be a TE1, but he’s a player that could prove to be a valuable addition to any tight-end room.