Horseshoe Huddle

Colts 2023 Draft Interviews: Payne Durham, TE, Purdue

Meet Purdue tight end Payne Durham. We talked about his outstanding Senior Bowl week, his throwback style of play, and why blocking is such an important aspect of playing tight end.

Zach Hicks

Payne Durham is a former three star recruit that chose to attend Purdue out of high school. He had to fight his way into playing time early in his college career, as he was stuck on the depth chart behind Brycen Hopkins early on at Purdue.

He eventually became the top receiving target in the tight end room in the 2021 season, where he caught 45 passes for 467 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that up with an even better season in 2022, hauling in 56 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.

I asked Durham what was key for him in continually improving his game each and every offseason:

It was all about taking the next step forward. I owe a lot of that to my position coach Ryan Wallace. We set goals for the season every offseason, and we worked and did everything we could to make sure we achieved those goals. It was really all about staying with it, keeping my head down, and focusing with my coach on what we wanted to achieve.

Durham began his career as the blocking tight end at Purdue, but he was able to transform into the team's top pass catching target at the position during his final two seasons.

I asked him about his breakout during these final two years and what all went into that emergence of play:

Coach (Jeff) Brohm used me as a versatile piece in that offense. He moved me all over the place and I think that created a lot of opportunities for me. He put me in different positions and let me attack different leverages.

Also, the past two or three seasons really, I've played alongside two fantastic wide receivers in Charlie Jones and David Bell. It makes it easy when defenses are so focused on those guys.

Senior Bowl Week

Durham was invited to participate in the Reese's Senior Bowl this offseason, where he wowed scouts with how quick and sudden he looked as a pass catcher. By almost all accounts of the week, he was considered one of the biggest "winners" of the entire event.

I asked Durham about his experience with the event and his overall strong play down in Mobile this offseason:

Once I got to college, and was playing football, a goal of mine was to get (to the Senior Bowl). I had some buddies from my team go down there and share their experience with me. It was definitely something that I was looking forward to and I was excited to go down there and showcase who I was and what I was all about. I'm just happy I had the chance to do so. 

Ability as a Blocker

Payne Durham made his money early on in college as a blocking tight end. As a result, he is easily one of the better blockers at the position in this entire draft class.

I asked him about the mindset that he had to have to be a blocking tight end at Purdue:

It really speaks to the versatility of a tight end and how that position makes an offense run. I went out there with the mindset that I fell in love with the suffering. I wanted to go out there and be primal and gritty and get after people. That was kind of the mindset that took out with the blocking role.

This past free agency in the NFL, there became an increased emphasis on the blocking tight end. Josh Oliver received a huge deal from the Minnesota Vikings and Chris Manhertz got paid well by the Denver Broncos.

I asked Durham if he has noticed the trend in how some teams are reverting back to coveting players of his skillset:

Yeah, absolutely. The Travis Kelce's of the world are the flashy guys and the media goes after that, but I think a blocking tight end is a huge piece of the puzzle in an offense. Defenses still have to respect you as a receiving threat, but you can still get your hand down and go to work on somebody. 

Improved Receiving Threat

Durham improved drastically as a pass catcher in his college career. He may not be the type of player to run like a Darren Waller or a Travis Kelce, but he understands how to get open and is extremely reliable as a target.

I asked how he worked to create separation as a route runner despite not being an elite level athlete (relative to the top NFL tight ends):

I think a lot of that goes back to my lacrosse background. I played attack in lacrosse so I had to create separation to score goals. For me switching over to football during my senior year of high school, it was kind of natural for me.

I know I'm not the fastest guy in the world, so if you put me in the phone booth, I have to be able to get open. A lot of that is quick cuts, using pressure breaks, and finding those small areas where I can win by attacking leverage and using eyes.

Durham's game, as both a blocker and as a pass catcher, feels very throwback. He fits closer to the mold of Jason Witten than Mark Andrews as a tight end.

I asked him if he feels like his style is a bit more throwback than the modern tight end:

I watched a lot of Tony Gonzalez highlights and he was a basketball guy that would go and box people out. I try to take bits and pieces from all of the greats and use my size to out-body defensive backs or safeties. Using your body is a huge part of playing tight end and I think I use that to fit into that classic mold of the position for sure.

Comparisons to Jack Doyle

The easy comparison to make to Durham's game is former Colts' tight end Jack Doyle. Both players are that classic two-way tight end, and Doyle was able to churn out a successful ten year career in the NFL.

I asked Durham what he thought of that overall comparison for his game:

All of my coaches at Purdue actually coached (Jack Doyle) at Western Kentucky. We have the same agent also. We text a good bit and I think we are actually meeting up here soon.

I love that comparison though, and it was always what people told me throughout college. I watched him religiously throughout my college career, so I absolutely mold my game after Jack Doyle.

Impact in the NFL

I ended this interview the same way I end all of them. I asked Durham about what type of player and person an NFL team is getting if they spend a draft pick on him in this class:

On the field, you are just getting a tough player that is going to do whatever it takes to win. Like you said, I'm that old school, throwback Y tight end that isn't scared to do the dirty work. Also, if you put me in the redzone, I'm going to catch touchdowns.

Off the field, you are getting a great locker room guy. I get along with everybody and I'll be very active in the community wherever I end up.

Payen Durham may not be the flashiest tight end in this class, but he might be the one that churns out the longest career. He is a pure two-way player that fits the mold of a player like Jack Doyle so well.

The Colts could desperately need a Jack Doyle clone on their 2023 roster, so hopefully Indy is interested in this talented player come draft day.

Learn more about Payne Durham and so much more by pre-ordering the Indy Draft Guide!

The most comprehensive Colts draft coverage you can find anywhere releases April 10th, 2023.

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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