The first thing that jumps out about Payne is his size. He is a massive 329 pounds, and yet, is not overly sloppy like one might expect of a young player carrying so much weight. Size matters in the trenches, and Payne has plenty. Often, teams must project how a player will add weight, and whether he can retain his athleticism once he does so. With Payne, there are no such questions, and he offers value in that certainty.

The first thing a college program will do with Payne is fix his stance. He often uses too high a stance, close to that of a sprinter's positioning, in pass rushing situations. He needs to be lower, more balanced, and better distribute his weight over his feet instead of his hands. That will help him react laterally and pursue down the line, and remain lower when fighting blocks.

That said, Payne does show some impressive get off at times, which will help him be a disruptor at the next level

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Posted by mattloc

Alabama

Member since Sep 2012

4315 posts

Posted on 7/31/14 at 6:24 am to mattloc

continued....Payne has several clips in which he shows excellent change of direction and closing burst. That's impressive for a player of his size. In fact, this might be the best attribute he has on his tape, and it shows up in his testing, as he ran a 5.26 40-yard dash at 329 pounds.

Payne can stack and split double teams somewhat well, which speaks well of his strength, but he will need to pair that with much better technique in college to win those battles. Payne also needs to use his hands a lot better.

Right now, he offers very little as a pass rusher.

Payne projects as an impact defensive tackle who, with coaching, could be a major force later in his career.
Bud Elliot

This post was edited on 7/31/14 at 6:27 am

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