ATLANTA — It’s a thought Nick Claytor said didn’t weigh on his mind during the football season, but in the days after Georgia Tech’s loss to Air Force in the Liberty Bowl, the Gainesville High graduate decided to forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Claytor, a 6-foot-6, 292-pound offensive tackle, said he made the choice after speaking with the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which has projected him as a late-round pick.

“All you need is one team to believe in you,” said Claytor, who was one of the state’s top recruits when he came out of the Red Elephants’ program. “I’ll play for any team who believes in me. My body, mind, they can have it. Let’s win some games.”

Claytor was originally a Chan Gailey recruit, but Gailey was let go after the 2007 season, the year Claytor was a redshirt freshman. Gailey is now coach of the Buffalo Bills, and Bills offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris was an assistant at Tech as well.

While it’s a possibility Claytor could end up with the coach that recruited him coming out of high school, Claytor doesn’t care where he ends up.

“All of them,” Claytor joked when asked which team he rooted for growing up, “all 32 teams.”

Claytor believes he’s a more versatile, well-rounded player for sticking with Georgia Tech when Gailey was replaced by Paul Johnson in 2008. The Jackets switched from a pro-style offense to the triple option, and Claytor, instead of transferring, decided to take on the challenge of reinventing himself as an offensive lineman.

“The friends, the education I was getting, the close proximity to my family — I never considered transferring,” he said. “I signed with Georgia Tech, not an offense. I was willing to stay and make the sacrifice, and I worked harder than I ever have in my life.

“(At Gainesville), I was used to my size and relied on that to be a pass blocker. I had to change to a run blocker, but I dropped my weight, became strong and faster, and now I’m more explosive from the point of attack. I could have left college with no technique and just relied on my size. But everyone’s big in the NFL.”

Gainesville High coach Bruce Miller, whom Claytor played under, believes Claytor’s decision to enter the NFL draft was the right one.

“To be very honest, Nick’s style of play is more suited to the pros than what Georgia Tech does,” Miller said. “He’s a great pass blocker, and (a defender trying to pass him) is like trying to get past an aircraft carrier. I think it’s a good decision on Nick’s part, and I wish him all the luck.”

After starting in 10 games as a junior for the nation’s leading rushing team, Claytor leaves Georgia Tech 10 credit hours shy of a management degree. He said he intends to complete his degree either in the fall or next spring, but will use the time between now and April to prepare for the draft.

His current weight of 292 is far off from his high school weight of 320, but he hopes to be in the 315-range by draft time.

He plans to work in the weight room two to three times per day. He’s also in the process of finding an agent, and has relied on the advice of several former teammates now in the NFL, including Derrick Morgan of the Tennessee Titans.

“I’m new to the process,” Claytor said. “But I have enough friends in the league that I know what’s going on.”

One development that could work against Claytor is the NFL’s tenuous labor situation. The owners and players association have yet to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, and a lockout is possible.

“I’ve got to have faith and roll with what happens,” Claytor said. “If there’s a lockout, I’ll get my degree. But my goal is to make an NFL team.”— It’s a thought Nick Claytor said didn’t weigh on his mind during the football season, but in the days after Georgia Tech’s loss to Air Force in the Liberty Bowl, the Gainesville High graduate decided to forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Claytor, a 6-foot-6, 292-pound offensive tackle, said he made the choice after speaking with the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which has projected him as a late-round pick.

“All you need is one team to believe in you,” said Claytor, who was one of the state’s top recruits when he came out of the Red Elephants’ program. “I’ll play for any team who believes in me. My body, mind, they can have it. Let’s win some games.”

Claytor was originally a Chan Gailey recruit, but Gailey was let go after the 2007 season, the year Claytor was a redshirt freshman. Gailey is now coach of the Buffalo Bills, and Bills offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris was an assistant at Tech as well.

While it’s a possibility Claytor could end up with the coach that recruited him coming out of high school, Claytor doesn’t care where he ends up.

“All of them,” Claytor joked when asked which team he rooted for growing up, “all 32 teams.”

Claytor believes he’s a more versatile, well-rounded player for sticking with Georgia Tech when Gailey was replaced by Paul Johnson in 2008. The Jackets switched from a pro-style offense to the triple option, and Claytor, instead of transferring, decided to take on the challenge of reinventing himself as an offensive lineman.

“The friends, the education I was getting, the close proximity to my family — I never considered transferring,” he said. “I signed with Georgia Tech, not an offense. I was willing to stay and make the sacrifice, and I worked harder than I ever have in my life.

“(At Gainesville), I was used to my size and relied on that to be a pass blocker. I had to change to a run blocker, but I dropped my weight, became strong and faster, and now I’m more explosive from the point of attack. I could have left college with no technique and just relied on my size. But everyone’s big in the NFL.”

Gainesville High coach Bruce Miller, whom Claytor played under, believes Claytor’s decision to enter the NFL draft was the right one.

“To be very honest, Nick’s style of play is more suited to the pros than what Georgia Tech does,” Miller said. “He’s a great pass blocker, and (a defender trying to pass him) is like trying to get past an aircraft carrier. I think it’s a good decision on Nick’s part, and I wish him all the luck.”

After starting in 10 games as a junior for the nation’s leading rushing team, Claytor leaves Georgia Tech 10 credit hours shy of a management degree. He said he intends to complete his degree either in the fall or next spring, but will use the time between now and April to prepare for the draft.

His current weight of 292 is far off from his high school weight of 320, but he hopes to be in the 315-range by draft time.

He plans to work in the weight room two to three times per day. He’s also in the process of finding an agent, and has relied on the advice of several former teammates now in the NFL, including Derrick Morgan of the Tennessee Titans.

“I’m new to the process,” Claytor said. “But I have enough friends in the league that I know what’s going on.”

One development that could work against Claytor is the NFL’s tenuous labor situation. The owners and players association have yet to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, and a lockout is possible.

“I’ve got to have faith and roll with what happens,” Claytor said. “If there’s a lockout, I’ll get my degree. But my goal is to make an NFL team.”