‘Dreams do come true.’ Inside Seydou Traore’s journey from UK to Dolphins
Seydou Traore’s first interaction with football came via television.
No, it wasn’t an NFL game. It wasn’t college football, either. Rather, it was a program called “The NFL Show” that broadcasted highlights of previous games as well as explained the game to a British audience. Then came his first time on a football field at age 16.
“From training, I was like, ‘Damn, this is really fun,’” Traore, 23, recalled. “When it did get to games, I know it’s 9 v. 9, but when it did get to games, it was like, hearts pounding, I’m like, wow, like, scoring touchdowns, making tackles — I played a bit of safety back then, too — making tackles, and it was just like, ‘This is amazing.’”
Roughly seven years later, the Miami Dolphins selected the Mississippi State tight end in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The pick of Traore was historic as he became the first graduate of the United Kingdom’s iteration of the NFL Academy to be drafted. His story offers a unique glimpse into ways American football has touched the globe.
“The game got brought to me in my late teenage years, and what the game has done for me and the enjoyment I have playing the game and everything about it, is so much, so why would I not want to kind of share that and pass it on to a kid, just how it was passed down on to me,” Traore said, later adding that “dreams do come true, so put in the work and really pursue it.”
Like most kids growing up across the pond, however, professional football wasn’t the goal. Traore originally wanted to play soccer.
“I actually picked up soccer pretty late,” Traore said. “Played here and there in the park as a kid. I want to say I got pretty serious about it in my early teenage years when I got to secondary school. That’s when I actually started playing for school and then playing for clubs, and then just getting better at it.”
By his later teenage years, the NFL Academy would open in North London. He would be part of the new venture’s inaugural class in 2019, which, as Traore described, compiled all the best athletes in various sports, taught them football and have them compete against various schools. The goal: to eventually land a scholarship.
“When they’re at the Academy, the Academy would fly them out, whether it’s the camps and different stuff, give them an opportunity to compete. They’ll play against American high schools as well so they’re playing real competition whether it’s in the U.S. or in the UK. From there, the opportunity to get recruited.”
Here’s actually where his time as a goalie came into play.
“Hand-eye coordination, me tracking and locating balls and then leaping ability whether it’s down low, up high, attacking the ball,” Traore said of the soccer skills that helped him with football. “That translates I feel like very well. For example, you’re taking a corner kick in soccer and the keeper needs to be dominant, needs to attack the ball at his highest point in there; that’s how football is when they throw the ball up to you, you attack it at its highest points.”
The program also gave him access to opportunities like the NFL London games.
“I used to work those stadium games back when I was in London,” Traore said. “So, I worked in Tottenham, worked in Wembley when the NFL games used to come over. I used to hand out the kind of stat sheets. I think it was five minutes before every call was done, I’d hand out the stat sheets just around and then get to watch the rest of it.”
After completing the academy, Traore moved to Clearwater for his senior year. He eventually landed a scholarship to Arkansas State, arriving on campus in 2021. He spent two years there, racking up 62 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns before eventually transferring to Mississippi State.
At Mississippi State, Traore got the chance to play against the fierce competition that’s native to the Southeastern Conference. His final stat line after two years in Starksville, Mississippi — 69 catches, 730 yards through and six touchdowns — don’t jump off the page yet showcased exactly what NFL scouts want to see: potential.
“He’s kind of a very raw, athletic ball of clay, if you will,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “He can move. He’s an interesting athlete. He’s got twitch, he’s got speed. He’s got good hands.”
“Obviously newer to the game than some of the other guys, but just the overall toughness at the end of the day that these kids play,” added Dolphins’ director of college scouting Matt Winston. “He showed the ability just to make plays in the SEC. When you’re dealing with the international kids, you just want to see them actually do it on the field first.”
Despite Traore’s lack of experience compared to the average NFL player, he has an opportunity to contribute from Day 1 if he impresses during OTAs and training camp. Outside of Greg Dulcich, Dolphins’ current tight end room, which is currently composed of fellow rookie Will Kacmarek and a slew of practice squad guys in Jalin Conyers, Ben Simms and Cole Turner, doesn’t possess any clear pecking order. And with Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley’s emphasis on competition, anything is possible.
“To be honest with you, I feel like I can contribute as soon as I get into a building,” Troare said. “What that role is, I’m not sure, we’ll figure that out, whether that’s me running down on teams, me making plays on offense; I’m not sure, but I feel like I can definitely come in and create value for the team immediately.”
