British tight end Seydou Traore is ready to take the NFL by storm after being selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 180th overall pick.
Traore, who is 6ft 4in and weighs 244lb (111kg), made history as the first drafted player via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.
The 23-year-old was born in France and grew up in London but moved to Flordia in 2020, when he played 11 v 11 football for the first time.
Traore caught a total of 131 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns in college games and averaged 6.5 yards after the catch.
“He’s kind of a raw, athletic ball of clay, if you will,” said Miami’s general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. “He should only get better.
“He hasn’t been playing football real long, so that was what was intriguing to us, especially at that value [fifth round].
“We felt he’s a player who’s ascending, whose best ball is in front of him, and who can be a problem for defences in time. We had our eyes on [him] for a while and he fell to us at the right value, so we took a shot.”
He joins a tight end group that includes Greg Dulcich and third-round pick Will Kacmarek.
Traore caught 69 passes in two seasons at Mississippi State, hauling in a career-best five touchdowns last season and is the second tight end drafted by the Dolphins in this year’s draft.
Seydou Traore scouting report
- Traore had 752 receiving yards and four TDs during his final two collegiate seasons
- He was in the East-West Shrine game
- He ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds
Miami Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft Picks
- 12th overall (from Cowboys) – Kadyn Proctor, T, Alabama
- 27th overall (from 49ers) – Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
- 43rd overall – Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
- 75th overall – Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech
- 87th overall (from Eagles) – Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State
- 94th overall (from Broncos) – Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
- 130th overall – Trey Moore, Edge, Texas
- 138th overall (from 49ers) – Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh
- 158th overall (from Panthers) – Michael Taaffe, S, Texas
- 177th overall (from Cowboys) – Kevin Coleman, Jr., WR, Missouri
- 180th overall (from Cowboys) – Seydou Traore, TE, Mississippi State
- 200th overall (from Panthers)
- 238th overall (from Chargers via Titans via Jets)
Meanwhile, Uar Bernard, a Nigerian yet to play a game of NFL, was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 251st overall pick.
“It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this,” Bernard said.
“I’ve not played football, but I’ve gone through some drills that made me believe that I’m going to get better every day.”
