Seydou Traore: London-raised tight end makes history as Dolphins' 2026 NFL Draft pick

Seydou Traore, a Londoner who grew up playing football, was picked 180th overall by the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

He's the first graduate of the UK-based NFL Academy to be drafted. Here's his backstory, and the moment he'll never forget.

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Traore's first introduction to American football

Born in France on August 12, 2002, Traore grew up in Westmoreland, South London, the son of a French-Algerian mother and an Ivorian father.

Like most youngsters in the UK, he gravitated towards other sports at first, excelling as a goalie in football. Until that point, there were no signs he had a future in American football, let alone the NFL.

The London Warriors changed that. He played 9-on-9, got hooked, and then spent a year at the NFL Academy in Barnet as part of its very first intake in 2019.

What came next required some explaining at home.

"I'm going to travel halfway across the world to go and play football," he told Sky Sports, thinking back to the conversation with his family.

"They're just kind of relying on me to have belief in myself, to be honest, because they didn't really understand what the sport was, how it's played."

He moved to Clearwater Academy in Florida - his first experience of 11-on-11 football - and earned a Division I scholarship to Arkansas State in 2021.

Traore's college football career

His freshman year was quiet, as you'd expect. But in 2022, something clicked.

Traore posted 50 catches for 655 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Sun Belt Conference in receptions and earning First-team All-Sun Belt honours. Not bad for someone who was stopping shots in South London not long before.

He then transferred to Colorado, briefly rubbing shoulders with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, before eventually landing at Mississippi State. NCAA rules forced him to sit out a full season in Starkville, which, by his own admission, taught him plenty.

"It was a moment of gratitude at the same time, it allowed me to see how far football has taken me," he told talkSPORT.

"I was putting in the work every day, as if I was going to play every week. And it's hard to do that, knowing that without question, you're not playing this week and you're not playing next week."

When he did play for the Bulldogs, he shined, finishing his college career with 131 catches, 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns, including five TDs in his final season in the SEC.

Justin Ford / Stringer

By his own assessment, not many people could handle him.

"Honestly, every time I had gone onto the field, especially for game day, I started to realise they really got to come and see me."

"I started to realise a lot of these guys are messing with me. The way I can play right now, I feel unstoppable."

Traore: Representing London in the 2026 NFL Draft

Traore made his presence felt on the red carpet in Pittsburgh.

A nod to Mississippi State woven into his outfit, he gave the impression of someone who's clearly not forgotten the journey.

The moment Traore's name was called

It was a proud moment for his family, watching on. The same people who once struggled to picture what he was actually chasing.

It was British defensive end Efe Obada, himself a product of the IPP, who went on stage in Pittsburgh to announce the Dolphins' pick. He didn't mince his words.

What the Dolphins said about drafting Traore

Miami's general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, was direct about why they took Traore, raving about his untapped potential and exciting ceiling.

Thanks to his IPP status, Traore won't count against Miami's 53-man roster. The same exemption helped Jordan Mailata develop into one of the best offensive tackles in the league after spending two seasons on Philadelphia's practice squad.

Traore has time on his side, and by all accounts, the tools. The next step is getting on the field and proving he can deliver. Don't bet against him.