Buffalo Bills draft seventh-round pick who never played football

The first member of the Buffalo Bills’ 2024 rookie class has put pen to paper, as seventh-round pick Travis Clayton has signed his rookie contract.

A raw offensive tackle but with signature traits, Clayton is arguably the most unique of Buffalo’s 10 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft given that he has never taken a photo at an American football game. Originally from Basingstoke, England, Clayton grew up playing football and rugby, spending time at the academy of now Premier League club Fulham before playing rugby union for his hometown Basingstoke RFC.

The 6-foot-7 athlete, despite being completely unfamiliar with the sport, eventually joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program; Founded in 2017, the program has helped more than 35 international athletes sign with NFL teams since its inception. Clayton was chosen as one of 16 members of this year’s IPP class; Given that he is in his fourth year of high school, the UK native was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft.

He caught the attention of several NFL clubs at an IPP-specific Pro Day in March, running a 4.79 40-yard dash at over 300 pounds. His athletic profile was intriguing enough for Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane to weigh in on the 221st pick in the 2024 draft, with the executive discussing the process during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Related: ‘A piece of raw clay:’ Bills GM Brandon Beane praises his 2024 NFL Draft pick who never played football

“We sent a scout to watch these guys from the University of South Florida, all the guys from the International Pathway program,” Beane said. “That’s one of the guys he pointed out, (he said) ‘Look, you saw his athletic ability, let’s put him in front of the O-line coach.’

“We have Aaron Kromer here; Krom called me back here one day and was watching the film when he got there: You see this guy bending, you see him running with the ball, you see him hitting the bags. Some raw hand technique, things like that, but to watch a guy run, like (a) 4.79 (40 yard dash) at that size, the athletic ability screams.

Clayton, given the unrefined and entitled nature of his game, is a long way to make Buffalo’s roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t remain at One Bills Drive for the upcoming season. Newly changed NFL rules allow teams to carry an international player into an exempt spot throughout the offseason; Clayton won’t count on the Bills’ 90-man roster in training camp, and if Buffalo ultimately wants to keep him on its practice squad, he can do so in a 17th exempt spot.

Clayton will take his first live football snaps when the Bills rookie minicamp begins this Friday.