Bills sign seventh-round draft pick who has never played football

The Buffalo Bills have signed 2024 seventh-round draft pick Travis Clayton to his rookie contract.

Rugby player Travis Clayton shows his excitement after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills on / Mandi Wright / USA TODAY NETWORK

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

England ➡️ Buffalo.

Travis Clayton is officially a Bill: https://t.co/xbfgPXLsvZ pic.twitter.com/UWFZdNGdFz

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 9, 2024

A raw, but trait-sy offensive tackle, Clayton is arguably the most unique of Buffalo’s 10 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft given the fact that he’s never taken a snap in an American football game. A native of Basingstoke, England, Clayton grew up playing association football (soccer) and rugby, spending time in the academy of current Premier League club Fulham before playing rugby union for his hometown Basingstoke R.F.C.

The 6-foot-7 athlete, despite being wholly unfamiliar with the sport, ultimately joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) Program; founded in 2017, the program has helped over 35 international athletes sign with NFL rosters since its inception. Clayton was chosen as one of 16 members of this year’s IPP class; given the fact that he’s in his fourth year out of high school, the United Kingdom-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 reported 4.79 40-yard dash at over 300 pounds. His athletic profile was intriguing enough for Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane to take a swing on with the 221st pick in the 2024 draft, with the executive discussing the process during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Related: 'A Raw Piece of Clay:' Bills GM Brandon Beane Praises His 2024 NFL Draft Pick Who Has Never Played Football

“We sent a scout down to watch these guys at the University of South Florida, all of the guys in the International Pathway Program,” Beane said. “This was one of the guys he flagged, [said] ‘Take a look, you saw his athletic ability, let’s get him in front of the O-line coach.’

“We got Aaron Kromer here; Krom called me back here one day and was watching the film once it came in—you see this guy bend, you see him run off the ball, you see him hit 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 justified unrefined nature of his game, is a long shot to make Buffalo’s roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t stick around One Bills Drive for the upcoming season. Recently amended NFL rules allow teams to carry an international player in an exempt roster spot throughout the offseason; Clayton will not count against the Bills’ 90-man roster in training camp, and if Buffalo ultimately wants to keep him on its practice squad, it can do so in an exempt 17th slot.

Clayton will participate in his first live American football snaps when the Bills’ rookie minicamp commences this Friday.