The Buffalo Bills selected Travis Clayton, a former rugby union player, in the 2024 NFL draft. With his selection, the Englishman will play American football alongside former Wales standout Louis Rees-Zammit.
Even though Clayton, 23, had never participated in a game of the sport, he was chosen in the seventh round with the 221st overall choice.
Playing eighth-tier rugby for his hometown club, Basingstoke in the Counties 2 Hampshire Division, the 6′ 7″ athlete was chosen as an offensive lineman from the NFL’s international player pathway program.
Clayton expressed gratitude to UK supporters on social media for their assistance during his journey. “I just want to say thank you to all of the UK fans for supporting me and sticking with me. Now that I’ve made it to the NFL, it’s time to represent and show the rest of the world why UK sportsmen deserve to play in the NFL,” he stated.
At the draft combine, Travis Clayton ran a 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds.
At the draft combine, Travis Clayton ran a 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds. Image courtesy of Jeff Roberson/AP
At the draft combine, Clayton ran a 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds, which the Bills claimed was faster than the average time for offensive linemen over the previous ten years.
It follows Rees-Zammit’s signing in March to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions. Rees-Zammit, who made his desire to quit rugby union public in January, made an impression on the Chiefs while he was on the NFL’s international player pathway, where he was assigned to play wide receiver and running back.
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