Get to know the name: David Durden. The 2023 NFL Draft, like every draft, will be sure to feature names that even the most affluent draft expert will surely miss. This comes naturally with the territory of watching tape and analyzing over 200 schools worth of prospects nationwide.
At Pro Football Network, we aim to alleviate some of those misses with our weekly look at a smaller-school prospect who is sure to turn heads in scouting circles come April.
West Florida WR David Durden Is Known Among Next-Level Decision-Makers
The receiver position is more important in today’s NFL than at any other time during the history of the sport. So it’s critical to find the hidden gems at the position in the draft.
One such player can be found at West Florida, a Division II school whose program was conceived in 2016, and just three years later, they were crowned national champions.
David Durden is not a prospect who gets a lot of mention outside scouting circles, yet next-level decision-makers are well aware of the two-sport athlete. Originally starting his college career at Mercer, Durden has steadily developed as both a game-breaking receiver and return specialist.
As a freshman at Mercer in 2018, Durden totaled seven touchdowns. A year later, he was an All-Conference selection at the school after catching 45 passes for 647 yards with four touchdowns.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board
Then came a year off due to COVID before the transfer to West Florida. Durden made an immediate impact for the Argonauts last season, his first at West Florida, catching 34 passes for 787 yards, averaging 23.1 yards per reception, with 10 touchdowns.
He’s off to a good start in 2022, and after five games, Durden has 29 receptions for 501 yards and five touchdowns.
His athletic numbers are what teams want in a No. 1 receiver, as Durden measures a shade under 6’1″ and tips the scales at 205 pounds. He should time 4.35 seconds in the 40, and he plays to that speed, if not faster.
Durden’s an intelligent pass catcher who shows good route discipline and tracks the pass in the air, then adjusts backward to make the catch in stride. He’s a tremendous vertical threat, as his numbers prove, but he also shows a lot of ability catching underneath routes.
Durden is physical, does not back down to a challenge, and gives effort blocking.
Why Is Durden Graded as a Late-Round Prospect?
His route tree is limited and some scouts question his commitment to football. Understandable to an extent, as Durden is also an accomplished baseball player who was selected in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.
From a football perspective, the sky is the limit for Durden, who has all the physical and football skills to make an NFL roster and get playing time as a rookie. I would expect to see Durden in one of the all-star games next January and then end up as a star of Pro Day workouts.
It will be right around that time people will scurry to gather information on a player that scouts are already high on.