Payne Durham In Another Steal Report
June 10th, 2023
New Bucs TE Payne Durham during his Purdue days.
Joe shared last week that Bucs’ rookie tight end Payne Durham, a late fifth-round pick, made one analyst’s list of draft sleepers.
But now Joe’s got a more credible guy claiming Durham likely is the third- or fourth-best rookie tight end despite him being the 12th TE drafted this year.
That got Joe to put down the Big Storm beer for a minute.
“I like him more than a lot of people,” former Jets linebackers coach and personnel chief Pat Kirwan said this week on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
Talking about the Bucs’ tight end room, Kirwan expressed great concern that Durham might be overwhelmed if No. 1 tight end Cade Otton got hurt and Durham had to carry a big load for, say, half a season. But Kirwan thinks Durham can thrive fresh out of Purdue University.
The chatter focused on how Purdue used Durham in various ways, and Kirwan likes how he watched Durham pass many tests at the Senior Bowl this winter.
Can a linebacker cover Durham? That was Kirwan’s big question, and he said NFL defenses will test Durham early to see if they can get away with not having a safety cover him.
Joe doesn’t see that kind of speed on Durham, but Joe realizes it’s only spring practices in shorts and no pads.
Regardless, Joe was pumped to hear Durham pegged as a top-4 rookie tight end by Kirwan. What a coup that would be for Bucs general manager Jason Licht.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:18 pm
He will probably be the best tight end on the team. He could have easily gone in the third round. There were a lot of good tight ends in the draft lets hope we got one of the best.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:21 pm
Put him in there. This is a good year to get experience and learn the NFL ropes.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
One of the few guys I listen to when he speaks: Kirwan. I like his partner in crime also – Jim Miller. Great show those 2 put on.
Unlike our current QB “competition,” I have optimism for Durham. Hard to not look his way in the red zone.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:47 pm
Durham was coached by pass happy Jeff Brohm. If you can’t catch, you don’t play. Durham is smart and tough. Gets open and battles to come down with the ball. He’s a great compliment to Otton and Ko. Really like our TE room.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:48 pm
I think an offensive lineman could cover him
Dude is slow
June 10th, 2023 at 4:49 pm
I think the tape on this guy is confusing. His tape earlier in his college career shows a guy who looks like a big WR, a very mobile, and undersized TE. Then his tape from last year shows a big, lumbering, very slow TE. If you don’t believe me, go watch his highlights, and you’ll see what appears to be two different people. I assume he had a growth spurt at some point that zapped him of his speed, but gave him NFL size. He does have, regardless of what you watch, very good hands – but his tape from last year shows a guy who looks slower than Brate.
Not bashing the guy or anything, but I think that might be why scouting reports are all over the place on him. You see different stuff depending on what tape you watch.
Of course my comments are also based on watch a few highlight reels, so I could of course be completely off base, maybe I’m just seeing something that isn’t there.
June 10th, 2023 at 4:52 pm
He runs a 5.8 forty man
I don’t care how instinctive your are.
If I am faster then u in my 50’s….
You have no chance.
June 10th, 2023 at 5:13 pm
He runs a 4.8 not 5.8.
So he is slower than Gronk but he is great in redzone and catches everything thrown his way.
Can see him be a chain mover in the seam and a redzone option.
This k he was a great pick.
In fact except for Hayes who I think could have been an IDFA, I think every pick was great.
I also think our UDFA of Tucker, Banks,Izien, Merriweather and Jarrett, can all make this club and be contributors.
June 10th, 2023 at 5:21 pm
He ran a 4.87 and Cade ran a 4.78, KO ran 4.98
So the new kid is slower than Cade but faster than Ko
We need a vet in the TE group – too young overall
KO is a fullback/h back not a TE
June 10th, 2023 at 5:23 pm
If he can use his body like Gronk could….maybe he’s a sleeper.
June 10th, 2023 at 6:05 pm
Gronk was unique, but there is no one-and-done complete TE on this team, unless Durham shows up as a sledghammer blocker on top of his move TE skill set. Which is Otton’s skill set. It would be a good time for Ko to surprise on the pass catching side. In any case, Rah Rah Canales should be familiar with these problems. The glory season Seahawks were always mixing and matching TEs and big WRs who were this and that types.
June 10th, 2023 at 6:38 pm
Look, Gronk was timed slow. Huge and slow. Yet, in his 10 years, he routinely blew by LB’s, safeties, and even CB’s at times. He had that football “moxie,” our HC is so fond of saying.
Durham is a player. I’m keeping my eye on him.
June 10th, 2023 at 8:12 pm
Whiffed on his 4o time
It was in the 4.8 which isn’t blazing but not awful.
June 10th, 2023 at 8:13 pm
As long as he knows how to find the soft spots in coverage, use his body size to his advantage and make contested catches and be a good to serviceable blocker, he will be a good pick. He scored a lot of TD’s so you know he has good and strong hands and can make contested catches. I like the pick.
June 10th, 2023 at 8:40 pm
I like Otton. He will only get better. He didn’t do terrible last year. Duham is a big boy n adds another ability to the position. Blocking. Sounds like he’s a good under the radar pick up for us. Only time will tell. Speed also isn’t everything in the NFL. Anyone remember John ROSS. Dude ran the fastest time at the combine a few years ago. Fastest in history I believe. What’s he doing these days as a WR? I’ll tell ya absolutely nothing. Lol
June 10th, 2023 at 10:15 pm
Speed isn’t everything. It only kills if you are a killer playmaker. Jerry Rice, Chris Carter, Michael Irwin all were slow but had football speed n knew how to get separation n open, especially in the red zone. We know Durham bring those attributes n he’s a fiesta player who embraces contact contrary to 4.5 former Buc tightend OJ Coward.
June 11th, 2023 at 3:54 am
One of the comments on Durham was he looked slow on some highlights and fast on others. I only saw some clips but what I saw was a tall dude trying to get extra yards and looking kinda lumbering and a bit awkward. Like most tight ends. In his route running he mostly looked fast. Good hands. I have heard it both ways on his blocking. If he can block he will see the field this year.
June 11th, 2023 at 4:11 am
D-Rok Says:
June 10th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
One of the few guys I listen to when he speaks: Kirwan. I like his partner in crime also – Jim Miller. Great show those 2 put on.
Totaly agree D-Rok.
Kirwan is the man to listen to! Miller aint bad either, I agree.
None of the crazy, ill informed, sensationalist BS takes you get nearly everywhere else.
June 11th, 2023 at 8:48 am
“Joe was pumped to hear Durham pegged as a top-4 rookie tight end by Kirwan.”
God help their opponents if they have top-4 rookie tight end, even if this article used “pumped” and “pegged” in the same sentence
June 11th, 2023 at 9:06 am
Ronde Barber and Tom Brady and Julian Edelman got faster after their first 3 years in the league.
So can Durham.
He can get faster over the next two years