A historic night for the International Player Pathway program

Oh what a night!

Although the third day of the NFL Draft has traditionally offered late-round treasures like Puka Nacua and Brock Purdy, I must confess that I haven’t watched each and every pick on the last night in past years.

I was captivated by Saturday’s action from Detroit. Witnessing historical and emotional moments for the International Player Pathway program was amazing, especially when offensive linemen Travis Clayton from the United Kingdom and Bayron Matos from the Dominican Republic made it to the NFL.

Following an anxious yet thrilling wait, Clayton finally got the phone call he had been striving for during the winter IPP camp in Florida. After concluding the call, Clayton exclaimed, “I’m heading to Buffalo!”

Clayton was subsequently surrounded by fellow IPP signees including Irish kicker Charlie Smythe from the New Orleans Saints, Australian tight end Patrick Murtagh from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Welsh receiver/running back Louis Rees-Zammit from the Kansas City Chiefs. They had all travelled from their respective teams to be in Detroit to support and celebrate with their IPP peers. This demonstrated the speed at which this group of exceptional athletes and their coaches had established a lasting bond as the 2024 class within the football fraternity.

Former NFL offensive lineman, Kevin Boothe, stepped up on stage to announce that the 221st selection in the 2024 NFL Draft was Clayton, a former NFL Academy graduate from Basingstoke. What a thrilling moment!

Travis made history as he walked down the same corridor that first overall pick Caleb Williams had traversed just two days prior. The gifted 22-year-old, who had previously tried rugby, rowing, and even skeleton racing, shifted his focus to American football. With the union flag draped over his shoulders, he became the first British player to be drafted into the NFL from the International Player Pathway. Given the success of the NFL Academy and the IPP program, he certainly won’t be the last.

Daniel Jeremiah, an analyst for NFL Network, expressed his enthusiasm on air, saying, “I love it. That is awesome. He had an incredible workout and I believe that workout was the reason he was drafted.”

Minutes after the 2024 NFL Draft ended, Matos, a 6-foot-7, 313-pound player pursued by numerous league teams, had his dreams realized. The Miami Dolphins swiftly contacted him, securing the former University of South Florida basketball star as an undrafted free agent.

Thus, five individuals from the IPP Class of 2024 have now either signed contracts or been drafted. We hope to see more in the future as teams progress through both rookie and veteran mini-camps in May and June, before moving on to training camps in July and August.

Currently, I’m fervently planning my preseason training camp tour, trying to work out if I can visit Miami, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Kansas City, and New Orleans. It will be exciting to reconnect with the guys I interviewed on Zoom before their IPP camp in January, especially in their NFL settings during the summer.

The Fab Five, accompanied by IPP legends such as our own Efe Obada and Australia’s Jordan Mailata, serve as tangible evidence that the game is rapidly gaining global popularity.

Elite and thrilling athletes who have never played a single down of American football are dispersed worldwide. I am fully confident that the IPP scouts and coaches will discover them and transform them into the next batch of uplifting news and stars bound for the NFL.