Travis Clayton

Last updated

Travis Clayton
No. 67 – Buffalo Bills
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: Basingstoke, England
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:301 lb (137 kg)
Career information
NFL draft: 2024  / Round: 7 / Pick: 221
Career history
Roster status:Active
Player stats at PFR

Travis Clayton is an English professional American football offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played rugby union in England and joined the NFL as part of the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), being selected by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

Clayton grew up in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in England. [1] He played a number of sports growing up, including association football, rowing and boxing, before later focusing on rugby union. [2] [3] He played football as a member of the Fulham Academy and later had stints with Reading, Southampton and Chelsea. [3] He later joined Basingstoke R.F.C., a team in the eighth tier of the English rugby union system. [3]

American football career

Clayton had first tried out American football in 2019, spending time with the newly started NFL Academy in London, although he left the program soon after. [4] Four years later, he decided to give the sport another shot. [4] He rejoined the academy and after success there, was chosen in January 2024 as one of 16 participants in the National Football League's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), designed to give international players more opportunities to play in the league. [5] [6]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split Vertical jump Bench press
6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m)		301 lb
(137 kg)		35 in
(0.89 m)		10 in
(0.25 m)		4.81 s1.68 s2.81 s26.0 in
(0.66 m)		19 reps
All values from Pro Day [7] [8]

Clayton spent ten weeks learning the sport while training at IMG Academy. [3] [9] He received praise for his pro day performance, measuring at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 301 pounds (137 kg; 21.5 st) with a 7-foot (2.1 m) wingspan, while running the 40-yard dash in 4.81 seconds. [10] [4] His 40-yard dash time was better than any offensive lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine. [4] He was invited to tryout with several teams and received comparisons to Jordan Mailata, an Australian rugby league player who became a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. [3] [4] Unlike other IPPP participants such as Louis Rees-Zammit, Clayton was eligible for the 2024 NFL draft due to being within four years of having graduated high school. [11] Although never having played in a game of football before, he was chosen in the seventh round of the draft – 221st overall – by the Buffalo Bills, becoming the second-ever IPPP participant to be drafted after Mailata. [10] [11]

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References

  1. ↑ Gaughan, Mark (27 April 2024). "Bills add English prospect Travis Clayton as developmental final pick". The Buffalo News . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Bills' Travis Clayton: Jolly good selection by Buffalo". CBS Sports. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Spink, Alex (26 April 2024). "The little-known British rugby union player tipped to follow Louis Rees-Zammit into the NFL". Planet Rugby . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kahler, Kalyn (27 April 2024). "Could one of these international NFL Draft prospects be the next Jordan Mailata?". The Athletic . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Rooks-Taylor, Matt (21 January 2024). "NFL International Player Pathway: Travis Clayton selected". Basingstoke Gazette . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Malchow, Alex (28 January 2024). "2024 NFL International Player Pathway spotlight: Travis Clayton, OL, England". American Football International. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Bills select Travis Clayton with No. 221 pick in 2024 draft". NFL.com. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Travis Clayton College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "NFL announces International Pathway Program Class of 2024". National Football League. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 O'Sullivan, Brendan (27 April 2024). "What is the International Player Pathway? England's Travis Clayton becomes second NFL Draft pick ever from overseas program". The Sporting News . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Michael David (27 April 2024). "Bills draft Travis Clayton, rugby player who has never played football". ProFootballTalk . NBC Sports . Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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