sport news Inside the NFL's poaching of rugby stars... now will ground-breaking Brits ... trends now
Earlier this week, Travis Clayton wandered back through the doors of Procius Limited. Up until a few months ago, this was where the 23-year-old passed his days, working for the UK’s ‘leader’ in ‘pre-employment background checking services’.
Put simply, Clayton helped companies hire the right person for the job. He returned a couple of days after taking on another role.
This time, his background had been under the microscope. Clayton’s CV had one glaring red flag: no previous experience. But the Buffalo Bills did all their usual checks and decided the Englishman was a good fit.
Last weekend, Clayton was selected with the 221st pick of the NFL Draft. He has pedigree in football, athletics, tennis, rowing, boxing and recently rugby, playing for Basingstoke in England’s eighth tier. Just not in American football.
But after a two-month crash course - alongside 15 other hopefuls from across the world and across sport – Clayton is heading to Buffalo.
Travis Clayton was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 221st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft
Louis Rees-Zammit recently signed a three-year deal with Super Bowl champions the Chiefs
Earlier this week, Clayton visited his former colleagues at Procius Limited after joining the Bills
It is the culmination of a remarkable journey for the 6ft 7ins, 301lb prospect, who will soon begin a new career as an offensive tackle. It is also the second time in a few weeks that the cream of the NFL has turned to rugby.
Back in March, Louis Rees-Zammit – the former Wales prodigy and Clayton’s classmate on the International Player Pathway Program – signed a three-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
All of which poses certain questions: Why are NFL teams overlooking college prospects in favour of a novice? What does this mean for other rugby players with one eye on switching codes? And how much hope do Clayton and Rees-Zammit really have of reaching the top?
‘I always had the dream of playing in the NFL,’ Clayton said. ‘There are a lot of steps still to be done, but the first step is a big one.’
The Bills have been here before. Back in 2019, Buffalo were allocated Christian Wade after the former England wing turned his back on rugby to try and break America.
Wade, too, had come through the IPPP, which aims to funnel elite athletes from around the world into the NFL.
By the time Mail Sport visited him in early 2022, Wade had seen both sides of life on an NFL team.
In 2019, Buffalo were allocated Christian Wade after the wing turned his back on rugby
His first touch in preseason resulted in a 65-yard touchdown but he never played an NFL game
The running back’s first touch in preseason had resulted in a 65-yard touchdown but the chance to play a league game had eluded him. It never arrived; soon Wade was back playing rugby. ‘You have to understand how it really works,’ he said at the time. ‘If you get into the NFL and you're on a team, that is the success.’
Wade’s journey served as an inspiration for Rees-Zammit – the pair spoke before and during the Welshman’s wild ride to Kansas City. The former wing has blazed a trail for Clayton, too.
The odds remain against both - since the IPPP was launched in 2017, just five players have made it on to a team’s 'active roster' for the season. By the time Clayton lands in Buffalo, however, the 23-year-old will survey a slowly shifting landscape.
These days, the path separating international hopefuls and the NFL is marginally less treacherous. Thanks to a couple of tweaks to the rule book and a 365lb wrecking ball who has crashed through the glass ceiling. All could prove pivotal for new recruits.
From the 2024 season, all 32 teams will have an extra slot on their practice squad reserved for an international player. That protects them from the daily dogfight between prospects battling for a livelihood. ‘Literally the same day someone’s locker’s cleared out, someone else is coming in,' Wade told Mail Sport. 'It’s crazy.’
Rees-Zammit made the shock switch from rugby in search of a career in American football
Under these new rules, foreign recruits can also be promoted from the practice squad up to three times a season, ‘creating more opportunity for international players to develop and play in the League.’
There is another innovation that could fast-track Rees-Zammit towards the field. NFL owners recently approved a massive revamp to kick-offs rules. The change is designed to encourage teams to run the ball back more. And for Rees-Zammit, it is ‘absolutely massive’.
Nearly a half of NFL teams looked at the Welshman and this made him an even more enticing prospect: in rugby, so much of his success was built off an ability to beat defenders when running from deep.
Rees-Zammit is listed as a running back; the Chiefs could use him as a receiver, too. But the 6ft 3ins Welshman’s most immediate impact could come as a kick returner. ‘That's where my main position is going to be. So I've got to fight to be a starter in that position this year,’
