Wanting the ultimate developmental prospect, the Buffalo Bills selected OT Travis Clayton out of the international pathway program with the 221st pick overall on Saturday. Hailing from England, the 6’7”, 301 lb former rugby player entered the program and was made eligible to be drafted by NFL teams after going through their developmental program and testing.
Banking on traits, the Bills selected Clayton after he spent time playing rugby, tennis, boxing, rowing, and skeleton.
The well-roundedness of Clayton plus his traits make him a great option for the Bills to develop cheaply in the hopes of eventually eating a roster spot.
Below is Travis Clayton’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
Shin splints
When Clayton first started playing rugby, he developed shin splints which limited his ability to participate in practice due to the pain they caused. He was able to participate in physical therapy and pool work until he was ready but still showed up to practice to learn.
Injury Analysis
It’s surprising that anything was able to be found regarding his injury history as a whole. Looking for box scores or match recaps for rugby was virtually impossible and search engines revealed the same story multiple times by different outlets.
However, shin splints are an issue when the area that connects the muscle to the bone irritates the periosteum on the tibia. Overuse to the area such as running, having flat feet or poor footwear can contribute to this condition.
With rest, stretching, and strengthening, shin splints can resolve over time as the body becomes used to the workload or the proper footwear is introduced. Shin splints can worsen over time and eventually present as stress fractures if not managed, but only get diagnosed when prior interventions fail to address the issue.
Final Thoughts
It’s highly likely that Clayton has suffered plenty of other injuries throughout his various sporting endeavors. They just aren’t publicly documented. The Bills were smart to draft Clayton as they retained his rights and prevented other teams from taking him.
As part of the international pathway program, Clayton does not count towards the roster and when roster cut down occurs, he can be added to the practice squad as an extra body. There was really no downside to selecting him in the seventh round. He comes in willing to learn and without bad habits.
He has the ability to develop without worrying about his roster spot and the Bills can see what they have. Hopefully his outcome is better than that of former Buffalo Bills running back Christian Wade.
I wish Travis Clayton the best of luck and to stay healthy.
Top Photo Credit: The Telegraph
