This time last year, Travis Clayton was working for a company that did pre-employment background checks.
He also played for his local team Basingstoke in England’s eighth tier rugby league.
But the 23-year-old Briton now has one of the most coveted jobs in world sport: American football player.
After a tumultuous 2024 season, Creighton will be in his first season with the Buffalo Bills, who made a shocking move in this year’s NFL Draft by selecting a player who had yet to play a single game.
“I spent last year working in an office,” he told BBC Sport. “I never thought I’d be here now playing for the Bills, that’s for sure.”
“But I always had a passion for American football. I just needed the catalyst to get me going.”
Here’s how Clayton went from that clerkship to a multi-million dollar contract, and how it’s going so far.
How did Clayton get noticed?
Clayton played several sports growing up and in 2019 attended tryouts for the NFL Academy in the UK when it opened that year.
The program provides full-time mentoring and education to teenagers from Europe and Africa with the potential to earn college scholarships in the United States.
Clayton only spent a short time at the academy and wasn’t aware of the opportunities it could give him, so when a second chance presented itself he was determined to make the most of it.
He took part in trials for the NFL’s International Player Pathway when it 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 10-week training camp, and Clayton was named as an offensive lineman, whose primary job is not to run with the ball but to block and protect his team’s quarterback.
“I remember my first session in Florida,” he said, “and it was all about getting my body used to being in an unnatural position that I’d never been in before.”
“In rugby, you’re on your toes a lot of the time. As an offensive lineman, you’re flat on your feet a lot of the time, so it was about adapting to different angles of your hips and legs.”
Creighton has adapted well, something he demonstrated at his pro day in March, when NFL scouts evaluate college players before April’s draft.
Creighton’s size determined his position — he’s 6-foot-7 and weighs 301 pounds — but it was his speed that caught teams’ attention.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds, the fastest time recorded by an offensive lineman in the past decade.
“That’s pretty unusual for a 300-pound guy,” he said. “That’s when I thought maybe some teams would be interested.”
Travis Clayton’s mother, Nikki (right), flew to Detroit to share her draft experience. [Getty Images]
Getting used to the new office
Clayton then visited five NFL teams, not including Buffalo, but did have a phone call with one of the Bills’ coaches before the draft to “go over the basics.”
Clayton was attending the three-day event in Detroit along with four other IPP athletes, and they were scheduled to be featured onstage together as a highlight of the program late on the third day.
“It got to a point where I thought, ‘I’m not going to be selected,'” Clayton said. “Then my agent got a call from the Bills. I was surprised because I didn’t know they were actually interested.”
“We were about to go on stage and we all had to run to the back to get a call from our agent and talk to the general manager and head coach, and they were like, ‘Let’s get started.’
After a brief trip home, Clayton was on the job less than two weeks later: On his first day in Buffalo, he signed his rookie contract, met with star quarterback Josh Allen and got acclimated to his new job.
“I don’t think it really sunk in until I saw my name in the locker room,” Clayton said. “That’s when I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got this job. Now it’s time to go for it.'”
Creighton had been going through rigorous preseason training since May and was facing NFL players for the first time, having to learn the playbook, pre-snap rhythm and even how to put on pads.
“It’s been a great experience, but it’s a period of growth for me,” Clayton added.
“I need to keep growing as a player, keep improving and getting one percent better every day.”
Will Creighton play this season?
All five IPP players on stage in Detroit are now with NFL teams.
They are part of the team’s training squad and will be aiming to earn a spot on the 53-man active roster for the regular season. Teams have until 21:00 BST on Tuesday, August 27 to submit them.
However, Clayton is unlikely to play, as a shoulder injury he suffered in late July ended his chances of playing.
That meant he missed out on any of the Bills’ three preseason games and is still waiting to play his first football game.
However, Creighton, like all IPP players, will remain on the team’s practice squad for the season and can be promoted to the active roster up to three times.
That will depend on how he trains during the season and whether he develops like Jordan Mailata, the only other IPP player to be selected in the draft.
In 2018, the Australian had no experience on the gridiron but had enough potential for teams to take a chance on him in the seventh round.
The Philadelphia Eagles viewed Mailata as a long-term project.
Though he didn’t play until 2020, the gamble ultimately paid off.
Mailata is currently one of the best players in the league and helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in 2023.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said drafting Clayton was a “worthwhile opportunity” and that “if he was the right guy, [Mailata]the choice will be well worth it.”
Only time will tell on that point.