The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in 29 college football players for pre-draft visits, the biggest indicator of interest in a prospect. And then there’s OT Travis Clayton. Make no mistake, he’s draft-eligible, but he’s not from the NCAA. He’s from the UK, a former rugby player part of the league’s International Pathway Program looking to crack an NFL roster.
Clayton is new to many Steelers fans learning about the name, and understandably so. He’s not someone you’d be watching on Saturdays. But he’s a name we covered recently in our discussion of three international prospects worth monitoring alongside British Columbia OT Giovanni Manu and Jamaican TE/DE Roje Stona, who competed in discus at Arkansas.
But Clayton was the name the team brought in. On paper, his size is intriguing. As Tom Pelissero tweeted late last Month, Clayton weighed in at 6-7, 301 pounds with 35-inch arms and a 4.79-4.82 40 time, numbers alone worth exploring. Per Draft Scout, he also benched 19 times (a decent number considering his arm length) with a 26-inch vertical.
Clayton was one of 16 IPP prospects looking to make an NFL roster, joining Louis Rees-Zammit, who signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The group attended South Florida’s Pro Day, where we spotted Steelers’ scout and analyst Tosin Kazeem.
As told and shown by the NFL UK YouTube channel following this year’s Pathway players, Clayton was happy with his workout and getting on the radar of teams.
“To hear that teams are interested in myself is very, very exciting,” he said.
The documentary also showed Clayton going through a separate workout following his Pro Day, which noted his visit with the Steelers and three other teams: the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Based on the video, I did not see any Steelers reps at the workout, though the tape was likely sent out to each club. That may have caught Pittsburgh’s attention, leading to his visit. At the least, it would allow the Steelers the chance to check Clayton out medically since he was not at the Combine, but it would also provide the chance to see his developmental needs and potential.
Pelissero mentioned Clayton’s boxing background, an intriguing thought knowing the hands and footwork the sport demands. However, I had a tough time verifying or finding out additional information about it. There is one reference to him being a boxer here, but there is little detail behind it. Dane Brugler’s draft guide doesn’t provide more detail, listing Clayton as the 35th-best offensive tackle and in the “best of the rest” chart that doesn’t provide details outside his Pro Day weigh-ins. However, in a Wednesday conference call, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah made mention of Clayton, liking him more than other prospects like Manu.
“I was actually kind of intrigued by the kid from England, Travis Clayton, who was the one I watched,” he said.
Among his multi-sport background, it does appear Clayton played tennis growing up. Here’s one reference to him winning an event way back in 2013, though it’s not very useful for projecting his NFL game. I was able to find an age. Clayton is 22 years old, a positive note given that some international players are older as they pick up the game late.
Clayton had been training at the American Football Academy in the UK, helping him make the transition to offensive line. Now, he’s looking to jump into the NFL. Doing so in Pittsburgh can’t be ruled out.
It would be a similar transition the Philadelphia Eagles made with former rugby standout-turned left tackle Jordan Mailata. The Eagles took a flier on him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft and he paid off by becoming a franchise left tackle, earning a long-term deal earlier in the offseason. In the building at that time was Andy Weidl, now the Steelers’ Assistant GM, and Pittsburgh could try to model the same. The Steelers also know the success they have with Alejandro Villanueva, a college wide receiver who became an Army Ranger before breaking into the NFL, first as a defensive end before the Steelers turned him into their starting left tackle.
Adding Clayton as an undrafted free agent might be more appealing than a draft pick. But there’s no guarantee the Steelers will convince him to sign, especially knowing the financial disadvantage they’ll likely be at, only handing out small signing bonuses to most UDFAs. Drafting Clayton would be a cool story, and if he’s the pick, you’ll want to refer to this post to find out what the team is getting.
