The massive offensive line prospect still has a long way to go
The Buffalo Bills aren’t afraid to dig deep for hidden gems on the offensive line. Under general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, the team has never drafted an offensive lineman in the first round. In fact, of the team’s current starting offensive line group, the highest-drafted player was taken No. 59 overall (O’Cyrus Torrence in 2023).
Last year’s offensive line grouping featured two former second-round picks, two former third-round picks, and a former fifth-round pick. Of the players who came off the bench, it wasn’t uncommon for their draft pedigree either to be that of a late-round draft choice or an undrafted free agent. The Bills ultimately know the type of player they want, and they aren’t going to hold a player’s draft stock against them.
In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile a player who entered the league via the NFL Draft by way of the International Player Pathway.
Name: Travis Clayton
Number: 67
Position: OT
Height/Weight: 6’7”, 301 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 2/17/2026)
Experience/Draft: 2; selected by Buffalo in the seventh round (No. 221 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
College: England International Player Pathway Program (IPP)
Acquired: Seventh-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Clayton enters the second year of his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $4,141,584 in total. For the 2025 season, Clayton carries a cap hit of $870,396 if he makes the 53-man roster. The Bills are on the hook for a dead-cap hit of $91,188 if he is released from the roster.
2024 Recap: Clayton arrived in Buffalo by way of the IPP and the NFL Draft, becoming the second former rugby player in recent memory to suit up with Buffalo (running back Christian Wade was the other). Clayton played right tackle during the preseason, but a shoulder injury led to the Bills placing him on injured reserve on August 27. That ended his season without forcing the Bills to release him and expose him to the waiver wire.
Positional outlook: Clayton is one of eight offensive tackles on the current roster. That doesn’t include Mike Edwards, who is listed as an offensive lineman but will primarily line up at guard. The other tackles are Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson (who himself may even be more of a center or guard), Richard Gouraige, Chase Lundt, Ryan Van Demark, and Tylan Grable.
2025 Offseason: Clayton is healthy and participating in offseason work to date.
2025 Season outlook: While Clayton is clearly a fantastic athlete (side note: Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to play rugby with a man Clayton’s size bearing down on you?), barring something miraculous happening, he shouldn’t be considered a legitimate candidate for the 53-man roster. Buffalo’s offensive tackle depth is enviable, as they legitimately have six rosterable players at the position. Perhaps, with another year of development, Clayton will bump himself into the conversation about being the sixth offensive lineman or a swing tackle. However, for now, he’s a candidate for the practice squad once again.