‘A shot worth taking’ – from office job to the NFL

This time last year, Travis Clayton was working for a company which carries out pre-employment background checks.

He had also been playing for his local team Basingstoke in the eighth-tier of English rugby.

Yet the 23-year-old Briton now has one of the most-coveted jobs in world sport – American football player.

After a whirlwind 2024, Clayton is set to begin his first season with the Buffalo Bills, who pulled off a shock in this year’s NFL draft by selecting a player who was yet to play a single game.

“Last year I was working an office job,” he told BBC Sport. “I certainly didn’t think I’d be stood here now playing for the Bills, I can tell you that.

“But I always had the passion to get into American football. I just needed a pathway to get pushed into.”

Here is how Clayton went from that office job to a multi-million dollar contract – and how he is getting on so far.

How did Clayton catch the eye?

Clayton played several sports growing up and, in 2019, he attended a trial for the NFL Academy – which was launched that year in the UK.

The programme gives teenagers from Europe and Africa full-time coaching and an education, with a view to them earning college scholarships in the US.

Clayton only spent a brief period with the academy, not realising the opportunity it offered him, so when his second chance came along he was determined to take full advantage.

He attended a trial for the NFL’s International Player Pathway, launched in 2017, and along with Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, was among the 16 athletes selected for the 2024 programme.

In January they flew to the US for a 10-week training camp, and Clayton was earmarked as an offensive lineman, a player whose main job is to block opponents and protect their own quarterback, rather than running with the ball.

“I remember the first session in Florida,” he said. “It was all about getting your body in awkward positions that I haven’t been in before.

“In rugby, a lot of the time you’re on your toes. As an offensive lineman,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/shot-worth-taking-office-job-080136025.html

Author : BBC

Publish date : 2024-08-26 08:01:36

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