Buffalo Bills' rookie seeks to 'take anger out on people legally'

The Buffalo Bills drafted British-born Travis Clayton despite his lack of football experience, but the seventh-round pick promises to play 'physical.'

Rugby player Travis Clayton shows his excitement after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills on / Mandi Wright / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buffalo Bills' seventh-round draft pick Travis Clayton has never played organized American football before, but the NFL International Pathway participant certainly has the right mentality for the game.

“I love the physical side of things, being an offensive lineman, being able to take your anger out on people legally is great, and I can just use my strength and my abilities," said Clayton while addressing reporters on an introductory Zoom call.

Clayton, a product of the NFL Academy in London, was selected by Buffalo as the No. 221 overall pick in last week's draft.

"You can sign him as a free agent. If we didn't draft him, we were gonna recruit him, but, down there, we were scared we wouldn't get a shot at him," said Bills' general manager Brandon Beane.

Clayton is not the first British-born Buffalo Bill to try his luck in the NFL. Running back Christian Wade spent three years with the organization after being assigned to the Bills in 2019.

Allowed to keep an extra player on the Practice Squad due to the international exemption, the Bills retained Wade as a PS player for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. The former rugby star was waived in April 2022.