NFL: Travis Clayton on the move from office job to the Buffalo Bills

Clayton played several sports in his youth and in 2019 took part in a tryout for the NFL Academy, which was launched in the UK that same year.

The program offers full-time coaching and training to teenagers from Europe and Africa with the prospect of receiving a college scholarship in the United States.

Clayton only spent a short time at the academy and was unaware of the opportunities it offered him, so when he was given his second chance, he was determined to take full advantage of it.

He participated in a tryout for the NFL's International Player Pathway, launched in 2017, and was one of 16 athletes selected for the 2024 program, along with Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit.

In January, they flew to the United States for a ten-week training camp, and Clayton was slated to play as an offensive lineman, a player whose primary role is to block opponents and protect his own quarterback rather than run with the ball.

“I still remember the first session in Florida,” he said. “It was about putting the body in uncomfortable positions that I had never experienced before.”

“In rugby, you stand on your toes most of the time. As an offensive lineman, you're more flat-footed, so it was about adapting to the different angles of the hips and legs.”

Clayton adapted well, as he demonstrated in March at his Pro Day, where college players are evaluated by NFL scouts before the draft in April.

Clayton's position was determined by his size. He is 6'7″ and weighs 290 pounds. But it was his speed that made teams sit up and take notice.

He ran the 40 yards in 4.79 seconds, the fastest time recorded by an offensive lineman in the last 10 years.

“That's pretty unusual for a 300-pound guy,” he said. “I thought some teams might be interested.”