ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — English rugby player turned offensive tackle prospect Travis Clayton was ready to join his International Pathway Program classmates on the NFL draft stage in Detroit on Saturday, when suddenly his agent came running from behind to hand him a cellphone.
A frantic and joyous minute later, Clayton had the stage all to himself after being selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 221st pick overall and the first of the seventh and final round.
“It was all a bit of a blur, but luckily I managed to get on stage in time, dragged left, right and center,” a still breathless Clayton said with a Bills cap on his head during a Zoom call. “I hope I did it right on stage.”
The 23-year-old Clayton has a head start on many of his IPP 2024 classmates, who took part in a 10-week training camp-type workout in Florida this past winter.
Rather than being allocated to a team by the NFL or sign as an undrafted rookie, Clayton became the program’s second player to be selected in the draft. He joined Canada’s Giovanni Manu, who was chosen earlier in the day by the Detroit Lions with the 126th pick.