The total rundown on new Bucs TE Payne Durham

Here’s what you need to know about Tampa Bay’s newest tight end.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran with receiving TE Cade Otton and blocking TE Ko Kieft during the 2022 NFL season, but the team spent a fifth-round pick to bring a new TE to the fold.

Check out the rundown on Purdue’s [autotag]Payne Durham[/autotag] down below:

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 253 pounds

Age: 22

Hometown: Suwanee, Georgia

Scouting Report (Dane Brugler, The Athletic): “A four-year starter at Purdue, Durham was the Y tight end in former head coach Jeff Brohm’s spread offense, splitting his snaps between the slot (57.2 percent) and inline (39.4 percent). A four-year lacrosse player in high school, he returned to football his senior year at Peachtree Ridge High School, and his production improved each of his five seasons with the Boilermakers. Although his routes tend to be rigid and upright, Durham is a long-striding athlete with good foot quickness and impressive body control to win with size and adjust to throws behind/above him. As a blocker, he needs to rely more on leverage and hand techniques to sustain, but he is physical and strong with the upside to become a dependable NFL blocker. Overall, Durham has average-at-best speed and separation skills, but he creates a large throwing target for his quarterback and enjoys the dirty work at the position. He has the skill set of a solid No. 2 tight end option in the NFL, similar in ways to Jesse James.”

RAS card

Player highlights