Purdue's 'old school' TE Payne Durham awaiting NFL draft call
WEST LAFAYETTE − Payne Durham was a football player in elementary and junior high school.
Once he picked up lacrosse, Durham thought that was his path to becoming a college athlete, so he stuck with it and gave up the gridiron.
A coach at Peachtree Ridge High in Suwanee, Georgia, made a bet with Durham prior to his senior year. Make a 3-pointer, Durham joins the football team.
The shot went in, Durham played football and the rest is history.
This week, Durham likely will hear his name called during the NFL draft after becoming a standout tight end at Purdue.
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"I wouldn't change this journey for the world," Durham said. "I try to be very thankful for where I came from and how this journey has played out. I take a step back and look at it still."
Where exactly Durham fits on an NFL team, he doesn't know.
But hopefully someone does.
Playing behind current Los Angeles Rams tight end Brycen Hopkins for two seasons, Durham's path to playing time in West Lafayette was as a blocker. Once Hopkins went to the NFL, Durham also showed his athletic ability in the receiving game.
In four years with the Boilermakers, Durham caught 126 passes, 21 of them for touchdowns. Over his final two seasons, Durham had 101 receptions for 1,027 yards and 14 touchdowns in 23 games. He added one last touchdown grab as a college athlete in the Senior Bowl.
"There's definitely different types of tight ends nowadays," Durham said. "You have your sexy Travis Kelces and then you've got people that are more blockers and people that can kind of do both. I think I fit in somewhere in that mold. Hopefully teams can see that."
Durham personally defines himself as an "old-school Y" and comparative to Jack Doyle, the former Indianapolis Colts tight end who played for Jeff Brohm at Western Kentucky.
Durham opted out of the Citrus Bowl to train in Florida for the NFL combine and Purdue's pro day.
After pro day commenced, Durham was happy he was able to go back to strictly football after spending months focused on specialized dieting and nutrition in addition to training specifically catered to drills he'd do at the NFL combine.
Now he waits for a pro football destination that five years ago was never in the cards.
"I wouldn't have believed you. It's been a crazy ride," Durham said. "It's been an experience. I owe it all to Reggie Stancil, my high school coach that made the 3-point shot to get me into football. Coach Brohm, coach (Ryan) Wallace, those guys rolling the dice on me. I am thankful."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: NFL draft: Purdue 'old school" TE Payne Durham awaits call
