The former English rugby player takes a cup of tea in the states
The Buffalo Bills are no strangers to the International Player Pathway (IPP) program. In 2019, the Bills were allocated English Rugby player Christian Wade, who made waves as a running back with the team in preseason action. While Wade never turned into an American football star, instead returning to rugby in 2022, he provided one of the best preseason moments in recent memory when he scored a 65-yard rushing touchdown on his first-ever touch.
This time around, Buffalo wasn’t allocated a player from the IPP; instead, they drafted him. In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we profile a big, athletic offensive lineman looking to make an impact on the west side of the pond.
Travis Clayton
- Number: 67
- Position: OT
- Height/Weight: 6’7”, 301 pounds
- Age: 23 (24 on 2/17/2025)
- Experience/Draft: R; drafted by the Bills in the seventh round (No. 221 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
- College: N/A
- Acquired: Seventh-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Clayton inked a four-year contract worth $4,141,584 overall. Of that total, just $121,584 is guaranteed. For the season, Clayton carries a cap hit of $25,396 if he makes the roster, and the Bills will be on the hook for the entire amount of his guarantees in the form of a dead-cap charge if he’s released.
2023 Recap: After first playing American football in 2019, Clayton came back to the sport in 2023 via the London NFL Academy. He was chosen as one of 16 players to represent the IPP in the 2024 NFL Draft. Clayton then spent ten weeks at IMG Academy training for the NFL Draft. He ran a 4.81-second 40-yard dash, which is an absurd time at his size. He put up 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, and he has a seven-foot wingspan.
Positional outlook: Clayton is one of a handful of linemen vying for space at tackle. He’s joined by Tylan Grable, Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, La’el Collins, Richard Gouraige, Mike Edwards, Ryan Van Demark, and Alec Anderson.
2024 Offseason: Clayton is healthy and has participated in offseason work to date. He’s now at his first NFL training camp.
2024 Season outlook: Clayton is a pretty surefire bet to land on the team’s practice squad this season. I don’t think he has much of a chance at the 53-man roster, and while it’s possible that he develops into a viable offensive tackle at some point, the odds are stacked against him in that regard, as well. From Buffalo’s perspective, it’s certainly worth buying the lottery ticket on a fantastic athlete. Clayton is a multi-year project who could be a huge “boom” if he adds functional strength and mass to his ridiculous frame.