New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: TE Payne Durham

Nick takes a look at a potential tight end prospect.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 22, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Purdue Boilermakers

Payne Durham, TE

Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 253 lbs.
Class: RS-Senior
School: Purdue
Age: 22 (born 06/15/2000)

Combine Measurements

Arm length: 34”
Hand size: 9 ⅞”
40-yard-dash: 4:87
10-yard-split: 1.61
Vertical jump: 34 ½”
Broad jump: 9’9”
Short-shuttle: 4.51* At Pro Day
3-Cone: 7.15* At Pro Day
Bench press: 14

A former three-star recruit out of Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he was the 79th-ranked tight end prospect and the 169th Georgian player during the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Durham was an All-County lacrosse player in high school who broke goal-scoring records. He caught 22 balls for 330 yards and five touchdowns in his senior season at Peachtree Ridge, which earned him first-team All-County and All-Region honors.

Notables

Durham redshirt his freshman year of 2018 before earning two consecutive Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2020 & 2021. He was Second Team All-Big Ten in 2022 after a solid senior season. [STATS]

Durham opted out of Purdue’s bowl game in 2022 to focus on the 2023 NFL Draft. He frequented the Academic All-Big Ten list and was a Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree in 2021. Durham was a move-tight end for Purdue with the size/frame to be a traditional “Y” at the next level.

Get More 2023 Draft Profiles here.

Strengths

Excellent height and length with a frame that is not maxed out
Sufficient athlete - solid overall get-off
Functional feet as a blocker and getting in and out of breaks - no wasted movement
Nimble and light on his feet

Had a 26-yard catch vs. Illinois (17-yards were after catch) where he leaped over Devon Witherspoon and another defender and spun out of a Sydney Brown tackle attempt where his knees were inches away from touching the ground - great body control Q1, 7:28, 2nd & 6

Understands leverage at the point of attack
Solid overall strength
Good blocking tight end who loses slow enough vs. EDGEs
Understands angles and how to torque his body to control linebackers
Overpowers defensive backs - solid hands as a blocker
Understands aiming points and positioning as a blocker - has to keep hat down
Soft hands as a receiver - extends away from frame - maximizes catch radius
Reliable target for quarterbacks - a safety blanket
Uses body and length well to secure contested catches
Strong minded with excellent competitive toughness
Coordinated enough to be a move blocker (H-Back), strong enough to hold up inline

Weaknesses

Lacks speed to threaten - little upside as vertical threat
Athletic limitations - won’t create much separation in man coverage
One speed player
Pad level can rise at the LOS
High route runner

Summary

There are valuable NFL roles for tight ends like Payne Durham. He can be a solid tight end two who will act as a functional blocker with limited upside as a receiver regarding field-stretching ability; however, Durham is a reliable check-down option with good hands. If he were quicker, with a bit more wiggle, he would generate more interest in this deep tight end class.

Purdue coaches rave about Payne Durham’s leadership, and he only missed one game through four college seasons. He is smart, tough, and dependable, and I understand why the Giants showed interest in one of their top 30 visits.

GRADE: 6.12