Payne Durham has some great plays that he has made over his career as both a receiver and a blocker, and looks to be a solid tight end one option in the future. He’s a solid blocker, a suitable athlete, and has sticky hands as a receiver. Durham won’t start as a TE1 as he adjusts to the speed of the game but it looks like he will be a solid starter at the next level for a long time.

I think Durham has a little bit of upside, but not much. It’s mostly going to be adjusting to the speed of the game overall, and continuing to build on his explosion and his other first step traits. That being said, Durham is just about a finished product in my eyes and ready for the NFL. Might be the most pro-ready prospect in his position group this year. 

May I present to you the best play of the Senior Bowl so far:

A @BoilerFootball TE Payne Durham TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/U37PN0nMV2

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) February 2, 2023

Suffered some injuries in 2021, missed a couple of games and then played through them a bit. Otherwise has stayed healthy.

Payne Durham’s Scouting Report

Athletic Ability (40)

Speed/Athleticism: 15

Speed (4.5/7) – Average speed and limited athletic ability. Isn’t going to wow you with testing or athletic ability. 

Change of Direction (2/4) – Not great at changing direction. Not a nifty route runner or creator in space. 

Body Control (3/4) – Has some excellent body control. Makes defenders miss from time to time. Shows the ability to work the sideline. 

Strength/Power: 15 

Upper Body Strength (4.5/5) – Decent upper body strength, holds up decently well after the catch as well as a blocker. Really held up well blocking in the Senior Bowl practices. Impressive.

Lower Body Strength (2.5/5) – Looks like his lower body is built, but I don’t see it in a lot of his movement ability. Strong but maybe not explosive. 

Power (4/5) – Certainly offers some power to his game. Does a good job generating power in his lower half. 

Acceleration/Burst: 10 

Acceleration (2.5/5) – Doesn’t accelerate well. Doesn’t have a lot of suddenness. 

Explosiveness (3/5) – Seems fairly explosive. Doesn’t always pop or explode on tape, but has good length and just enough explosion to be effective. 

Receiving Ability (35)

Route Running: 10 

Footwork (3/5) – Good underneath route runner. Decent through his cuts – not nimble but at least consistent and relatively crisp. 

Route Tree (3.5/5) – Has a good route tree that he’s been able to run effectively most of his career. Not always great at running certain routes. Certainly works better outbreaking than inside. 

Catch Ability: 15 

Natural Hands (8/10) – Good hands as an underneath receiver. Can stretch the field vertically. Makes some sticky grabs that are very impressive both on tape and in Senior Bowl practices. 

Consistency (4.5/5) – Fairly consistent receiver. Has just a 6% drop rate, brought it down to 3.4% in 2022. 

Contested Catch Ability: 10 

Vertical Ability (3.5/5) – Offers some vertical ability and can stretch the seams. Red zone seems to be a good place where Durham can be used. 

Catch through contact (4/5) – Has the ability to catch the ball through contact, I want to see him secure the ball better in these situations. Struggles at times to win those battles. When he does, though, its very impressive and in tough spots. 

Blocking Ability (20)

Pass Blocking: 10 

Strength (4/5) – Decent chip blocker. Does a great job creating leverage and using his strength and power to hold the block. 

Technique (5/5) – Strong technique using his length to get leverage. Bigger for a tight end and can create those mismatches where he holds up well against DB’s and even some LB’s. 

Run Blocking: 10 

Strength (4.5/5) – Strong run blocker. Get’s downhill well. 

Technique (4.5/5) – Tries to lounge a little bit too hard, and that can cost him to miss blocks in space. When he has hands on players, he’s good, locks them up with solid hand placement. 

Overall: (78.5) – 3rd/4th Round