Dolphins pick British tight end Traore in NFL DraftFigure caption, GB’s Traore selected by Miami Dolphins in NFL DraftByBen CollinsBBC Sport journalistPublished30 minutes agoBritish tight end Seydou Traore was a late-round pick in the NFL Draft along with Uar Bernard, a Nigerian yet to play a game of American football.Traore is the first graduate of the UK-based NFL Academy to be drafted, having been selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 180th overall pick.The 23-year-old has French-Algerian and Ivorian heritage and was born and raised in London, where he played for the London Warriors as a teenager.He was part of the NFL Academy’s first intake in 2019 and spent five years in college football in the USA before showcasing his talent through the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) programme this year.
Former Warriors player Efe Obada was the first IPP product to play in the NFL and he went on stage in Pittsburgh to announce the Dolphins’ pick.
“This isn’t just another name on a card, this is living proof that the dream is possible,” mentioned British defensive end Obada, who has witnessed Traore’s development having helped the academy from its inception.
Traore became the third IPP product to be selected in an NFL Draft, after Australia’s Jordan Mailata in 2018 and Britain’s Travis Clayton in 2024.
Clayton was also part of the NFL Academy’s first intake in London but only spent a brief period with the programme, now based in Loughborough, before coming through the IPP.
Traore completed the programme before moving to the US to play high school football in Florida.
