The 19-year-old was picked up by Essendon with pick nine in Wednesday's AFL mid-season rookie draft.
It comes after strong performances from Durham with VFL outfit Richmond, including a 23-disposal performance in round one against Sandringham.
The midfielder had been linked to the Tigers ahead of the draft.
With the reigning premier holding pick 10, the Bombers, however, swooped in a pick ahead to get their man.
A former Murray Bushrangers player, Durham also featured in Seymour's under-18 team that made the 2019 Goulburn Valley League grand final.
After missing out on the draft in 2019, Durham was expected to return for the Bushrangers in 2020 as an over-age player before the COVID-19 lockdown cancelled the season.
Essendon national recruiting manager Rob Forster-Knight said Durham had been on the Bombers’ radar for several years.
“We were really excited to call out Sam’s name,” Forster-Knight said.
“We’ve tracked him closely the last couple of years.
“He originally came from Murray Bushrangers and played well there, and then obviously the COVID-19 year struck.
“This year we thought he really developed his game playing for Richmond in the VFL.”
Forster-Knight explained why Durham was on the Bombers’ radar.
“What we really liked about Sam is that he has really good skills, he's a two-sided player, he's very agile and he's very versatile as well,” he said.
“He can play half-back, lockdown roles and wing roles as well, so we think he can potentially play games this year — we haven't put a ceiling on it.
“Originally he’ll be an outside midfielder.
“He’s got a little bit more develpment to go in terms of his development and strength, so he’s got plenty of upside.
“He’s just got to come in, build relationships and get to know our game-plan.
“I think he’ll fit in pretty well in terms of the system that ‘Truck’ (senior coach Ben Rutten) has created.”
Essendon coach Ben Rutten called Durham after he was selected and the Seymour recruit said he was “speechless”.
Durham will join fellow current AFL players, David Mundy (Fremantle) and Josh Schache (Western Bulldogs) to have come out of Seymour.
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