Clayton Echard Is a Hunky Former NFL Player! See Photos of the Rumored Season 26 Bachelor

No wonder ABC executives reportedly selected Clayton Echard to be the season 26 Bachelor — he is a total hunk!

Bachelor Nation has only recently met the former football player, as he just finished a stint on Michelle Young‘s season of The Bachelorette. The Missouri native was eliminated by the leading lady during week 6, but he still won over fans.

It’s no secret the medical sales rep loves showing off his body, and he works darn hard for it! He documented how he does high-intensity interval training, known as HIIT, to stay in tip-top shape. Clayton noted, “I have begun to do 20 min. of steady-state cardio (SSC),” as well, next to an April 2019 photo of himself intensely lifting hand weights.

All that exercise allows Clayton to eat as much as he wants, but he doesn’t let the 6,000 calories he needs in a day to go to waste. He explained his healthy yet inexpensive nutrition program in a March 2019 post.

“Everything I eat in a week is pictured here. I meal prep homemade chipotle bowls for lunch and dinner and eat egg sandwiches with a protein bar, banana, and protein shake for breakfast. All of this for under $100 … mind you, I eat 6,000 calories a day. Eating healthy isn’t expensive, it just requires time and preparation. However, when you factor in that diet, along with adequate sleep, accounts for roughly 70% of the “fitness equation” (working out being the other 30%), it is time well spent,” Clayton wrote.

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His fitness helped take him all the way to playing in the NFL, albeit briefly. Clayton played football for the University of Missouri and was signed as an undrafted rookie to the Seattle Seahawks in 2016. As a tight end, he took part in Seattle’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player.

Clayton shared a photo of himself in his number 85 Seahawks jersey catching a pass on his Instagram page, next to a celebratory photo while he was at Mizzou. “Definitely miss these days! I think I still have a couple good plays in me … #mizzoumade #seahawks #ipeaked,” Clayton wrote, joking about how he peaked before his NFL career could get off the ground. But now, he’s reportedly the new Bachelor, so he’s getting a whole new chapter in his life!

Scroll down to see photos of hunky Clayton.