In the NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills went off-script and picked a man named Travis Clayton.
What makes Clayton so special? He has had no experience playing American football. Seriously, he’s never held a pigskin or participated in any way in the sport.
But within 24 hours of being signed he did recreate the entrance of WWE legend The Undertaker.
‘Rest in Peace!’
‘This Guy is Going to Become an Unbelievable Player’
The Bills picked Clayton in the later seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Clayton is an English rugby player who also been involved in boxing in the past.
He participated in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, which seeks out athletes internationally that could have NFL potential.
Clayton will reportedly play offensive tackle for the Bills.
Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah says that Clayton is an absolute athletic freak.
“This dude is 6’7″. He’s 301 pounds. He’s a tackle and he ran 4.81. I say he’s a tackle, he’s from England. So, he hasn’t played, he’s played soccer, he’s been a boxer, and he’s been a rower. I don’t have any idea of how any of that translates to the NFL, but I did spend 15 minutes of a Saturday watching him workout, and I’ve convinced myself that in the sixth round, this guy is going to become an unbelievable player.”
You don’t have to believe Jeremiah, though. Check it out with your own eyes:
From No Football Experience to the NFL
No doubt, Travis Clayton has a lot in store for the future. It will be interesting to see how an athlete that has never played football fares in the NFL. Some college players can hack the pro level, so how will he do?
Soccer is an excellent start for footwork – the very starting place most look for in OLs. Then you have rugby, where Clayton likely learned the ins and outs of using leverage and your body to move people.
And ask any OL about handwork. Clayton is a boxer!
If things don’t work out in the NFL for Clayton, there’s always the WWE…
