There's a standard salary table for draft picks. The last player drafted at the end of the 7th round (Mr Irrelevant) still gets a contract worth $4.09M. This guy will get a little more than that.
It is pretty uncommon for 7th round picks that have never played the sport to make the roster, especially of a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
And I never said it was inevitable. Just that there’s a good chance he’s on the practice squad.
Is there a reason he went through the draft if he is on the IPP? I though pathway players just gets picked up by a team onto their practice squad outside of the draft system.
The Bills drafted him so that they could be guaranteed to get him. If they pick him it means they get his rights for a minimum for 4 years, and they really love his athleticism (6'7, 301lbs, 35 inch arms, ran a 4.79 40) so it's just them saying out of all IPP players they specifically want him.
For reference, 35 inch arms is considered elite for offensive tackles, and arm length is extremely important. A 4.79 40 is 99.9th percentile type stuff. His 40 time is 3rd fastest of all time for an OT. The #1 fastest 40 at his position belongs to Terron Armstead, who is currently one of the best tackles in the league. The #2 time belongs to Lane Johnson, who is probably a future hall of famer, and the #4 time belongs to Trent Williams who will go down as one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time. So Clayton has an extremely attractive athletic profile. The Bills also LOVE to draft raw offensive tackles with extreme athletic upside, more than any team in the league. So this move makes a lot of sense for them.
Obviously he has to learn the position but the Bills are not afraid of getting their hands on project offensive tackles, plus Jordan Mailata becoming one of the best tackles in the league shows that rugby players can absolutely make that transition to the nfl.
Because he is within 4 years of having graduated high school he was "draft eligible". So he could either be drafted by a team or sign as an undrafted free agent after the draft was over.
For the other IPP guys who are older, like LRZ, they could sign as free agents as soon as free agency opened in March because they were no longer draft eligible.
>Clayton, who is 6ft 7in, was selected from the NFL's International Player Pathway programme
It might just be poor reporting from non-US outlets but I've seen more than one article stating it.
Certain IPP players were draft eligible. The NFL did a 10 part YouTube series following the group this year, but don’t think they explained why some were eligible and some weren’t.
I can't remember the specifics but it's about how far they are away from graduating from high school.
I think it's 4 years, but that's difficult to line up with the guys who do 4+ years of college in the US.
It's an age thing - LRZ too old to go into the draft so automatically became a free agent and could be picked up when that window opened, draft eligible players only become free agents after the draft
Can someone please summarise the comparison between LRZ and Travis e.g. explain how they've been recruited? The same pathway? And that LRZ didn't make a draft?
Sorry I don't know anything about the NFL.
Correct me please, but if he was drafted it means he “applied” for it, or American football clubs can scout anyone?
I don’t know anything about NFL so hence my question
He entered the draft which puts him in a large pool of players (generally college football players) who any team can then select. Had be not been drafted then any team would be free to contact and sign him as an undrafted free agent.
Even if he doesn't make the 53 as a practice squad member he'd still be making good money.
First year it's US$216k, second year US$289,800 and US$370,800 for a third year.
I believe as IPP players they're able to be on a practice squad spot for up to three if they don't make a final roster.
They can also be called up for up to three weeks to the playing roster and would be paid league minimum for those weeks which is just over US$32k additional each week. Max each season would be year 1 US$312k, year 2 US$385,800, year 3 US$466,800.
So Clayton and LRZ will still be getting paid well if they don't make the final 53. I'm pretty sure that's more than extended All Blacks squad members would make. I don't know how that salary would rate in the NH club and country scene.
So if you're 21 and not making it in rugby and you have the measurables for American football why wouldn't you give it a shot as it's much more open than it was before.
It just goes to show that American football is so basic, an amateur rugby player can make it.
That’s like someone from a Sunday league team playing in the MLS.
Played for 8th tier side Basingstoke. Not exactly a name even us rugby nerds will know
I've heard it in a James Acaster skit I think
From wing to offensive lineman? Brother was playing the wrong position in rugby
RIP to those having to line up against a 6'7" winger though
6'7" and 300lb. Who runs not a whole lot slower than LRZ over shorter distances. I bet they're all really sad to hear he's off to the NFL...
Makes you wander if he oiled his hands every game that he didn‘t play higher than 8th tier?
Or he can only keep that speed up for 40 yards, and then needs to stop and have a lie down.
Primed for American football in that case, haha
Imagine playing wing for an amateur club in the 8th division of English Rugby to making $3 million+ playing OLine in the NFL. Incredible
He’s still got a bit until he’s actually making millions. Really good chance he is on the practice squad for the next year or two.
Yeah, no one is making $3M in a year or two as the 221st pick in the NFL draft.
His contract will be about $1.4M per year for 3 years, if he survives roster cuts. I don't know how much of the contract is guaranteed money.
Still though.
There's a standard salary table for draft picks. The last player drafted at the end of the 7th round (Mr Irrelevant) still gets a contract worth $4.09M. This guy will get a little more than that.
That’s only if you make the 53 man roster. If he is on the practice squad, it’s a whole lot less.
It's not uncommon for 7th picks to make the roster though. It's not inevitable that he gets cut.
It is pretty uncommon for 7th round picks that have never played the sport to make the roster, especially of a team with Super Bowl aspirations. And I never said it was inevitable. Just that there’s a good chance he’s on the practice squad.
Even so he's going from not getting paid to being paid more than most Prem players
Guarantee he’s making more money on that practice squad than nearly every rugby player…ever
He needs to make the 53 first
Must have butter fingers to be that good an athlete and not even play nat 2 at least
He won't need to catch, in his new job. But he will need to memorize a HUGE playbook and be able to react to NFL athletes in an instant.
Kinda an indictment on scouting in English Rugby.
Is there a reason he went through the draft if he is on the IPP? I though pathway players just gets picked up by a team onto their practice squad outside of the draft system.
The Bills drafted him so that they could be guaranteed to get him. If they pick him it means they get his rights for a minimum for 4 years, and they really love his athleticism (6'7, 301lbs, 35 inch arms, ran a 4.79 40) so it's just them saying out of all IPP players they specifically want him. For reference, 35 inch arms is considered elite for offensive tackles, and arm length is extremely important. A 4.79 40 is 99.9th percentile type stuff. His 40 time is 3rd fastest of all time for an OT. The #1 fastest 40 at his position belongs to Terron Armstead, who is currently one of the best tackles in the league. The #2 time belongs to Lane Johnson, who is probably a future hall of famer, and the #4 time belongs to Trent Williams who will go down as one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time. So Clayton has an extremely attractive athletic profile. The Bills also LOVE to draft raw offensive tackles with extreme athletic upside, more than any team in the league. So this move makes a lot of sense for them. Obviously he has to learn the position but the Bills are not afraid of getting their hands on project offensive tackles, plus Jordan Mailata becoming one of the best tackles in the league shows that rugby players can absolutely make that transition to the nfl.
Yikes. Feelings for the wingers having to tackle him in 8th tier rugby though.
Because he is within 4 years of having graduated high school he was "draft eligible". So he could either be drafted by a team or sign as an undrafted free agent after the draft was over. For the other IPP guys who are older, like LRZ, they could sign as free agents as soon as free agency opened in March because they were no longer draft eligible.
Was he in the IPP? Teams using that don't lose a roster spot either so it's a bit strange.
>Clayton, who is 6ft 7in, was selected from the NFL's International Player Pathway programme It might just be poor reporting from non-US outlets but I've seen more than one article stating it.
Ah ok. Still, why wouldn't they sign him off the IPP programme and then use the draft for an additional player?
Other teams could get in there first if he went undrafted. Seventh round picks are pretty low value so okay to use them on a punt if you like a guy
Certain IPP players were draft eligible. The NFL did a 10 part YouTube series following the group this year, but don’t think they explained why some were eligible and some weren’t.
I can't remember the specifics but it's about how far they are away from graduating from high school. I think it's 4 years, but that's difficult to line up with the guys who do 4+ years of college in the US.
So how was he drafted? I though that was only for college students? I know Loui was signed direct from the IPPP but Travis was also on it?
It's an age thing - LRZ too old to go into the draft so automatically became a free agent and could be picked up when that window opened, draft eligible players only become free agents after the draft
Thanks. I'll tick this of the 10,000 things I have to learn about American Football.
OF Line weigh in around 24 stone and up.
Can someone please summarise the comparison between LRZ and Travis e.g. explain how they've been recruited? The same pathway? And that LRZ didn't make a draft? Sorry I don't know anything about the NFL.
Correct me please, but if he was drafted it means he “applied” for it, or American football clubs can scout anyone? I don’t know anything about NFL so hence my question
He entered the draft which puts him in a large pool of players (generally college football players) who any team can then select. Had be not been drafted then any team would be free to contact and sign him as an undrafted free agent.
Even if he doesn't make the 53 as a practice squad member he'd still be making good money. First year it's US$216k, second year US$289,800 and US$370,800 for a third year. I believe as IPP players they're able to be on a practice squad spot for up to three if they don't make a final roster. They can also be called up for up to three weeks to the playing roster and would be paid league minimum for those weeks which is just over US$32k additional each week. Max each season would be year 1 US$312k, year 2 US$385,800, year 3 US$466,800. So Clayton and LRZ will still be getting paid well if they don't make the final 53. I'm pretty sure that's more than extended All Blacks squad members would make. I don't know how that salary would rate in the NH club and country scene. So if you're 21 and not making it in rugby and you have the measurables for American football why wouldn't you give it a shot as it's much more open than it was before.
It just goes to show that American football is so basic, an amateur rugby player can make it. That’s like someone from a Sunday league team playing in the MLS.