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Dolphins draft Traore
The Miami Dolphins selected Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore with the 180th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, a late fifth-round selection that the BBC described as “the first graduate of the UK-based NFL Academy to be drafted.”
“- Published British 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”
The BBC said Traore is 23 years old and has French-Algerian and Ivorian heritage, and that he was “born and raised in London,” where he played for the London Warriors as a teenager.
The Dolphins’ pick came after the NFL Draft stage moment when former Warriors player Efe Obada announced the selection on stage in Pittsburgh, saying, “Pittsburgh, you are now witnessing history being made.”
The BBC also tied the selection to the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) programme, noting that Traore “spent five years in college football in the USA” before showcasing his talent through the IPP this year.
The Palm Beach Post similarly reported that the Dolphins drafted Traore “with their final fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft,” and said the pick was “180th overall.”
The Dolphins’ selection was also described as a trade-related move: the Palm Beach Post said the pick “was acquired via trade with Dallas,” while the NFL-focused report said the Dolphins selected Traore “with the No. 180 overall pick (via a trade with the Dallas Cowboys).”
Pathway from London
Traore’s route to the NFL Draft, as described across outlets, began with his time in London and then moved through the NFL Academy and U.S. college football.
The BBC said Traore 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.
It also said Traore completed the programme before moving to the US to play high school football in Florida, and that he played college football for five years, earning a scholarship with Arkansas State in 2021 before transferring to Mississippi State in 2023.
The Miami Herald added more detail about his early playing experience, saying Traore “first participated in American-style football as a teenager, competing in 9-on-9 football for the London Warriors.”
That same report said he entered the NFL Academy a year later at age 17 and eventually played his first 11-on-11 football at Clearwater Academy, a high school in Florida.
The Palm Beach Post said Traore “began playing 11-on-11 football in 2020” after moving to Clearwater, and it described him as “born in France and grew up in London but moved to Clearwater in 2020.”
Dolphins’ pitch and numbers
The Dolphins’ internal evaluation of Traore, as quoted by the BBC, leaned on both athletic traits and the idea that his best football could still be ahead.
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The BBC reported that Miami’s general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said, “He's kind of a raw, athletic ball of clay, if you will,” and added, “He should only get better.”
Sullivan’s comments also included a value argument, saying, “He hasn't been playing football real long, so that was what was intriguing to us, especially at that value [fifth round].”
The BBC said Traore is “6ft 4in and weighing 244lb (111kg),” and it quantified his college production as “a total of 131 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns from 48 college games.”
The Palm Beach Post offered a different set of measurable inputs, stating that Traore “ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds” and that he had “10 career touchdown catches in college.”
The Miami Herald added that Traore ran a “4.50 in the 40-yard dash” and registered a “40-inch vertical jump at the HBCU combine,” while also quoting ESPN’s Field Yates saying, “Linebackers had a tough time keeping up with his routes; averaged 6.5 yards after the catch in 2025.”
International Player Pathway spotlight
The Traore selection was presented as part of a broader pattern for the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, with the BBC explicitly connecting him to earlier IPP draftees and to the programme’s first intake.
The BBC said 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.
It also described how former Warriors player Efe Obada had “witnessed Traore's development having helped the academy from its inception,” and it quoted Obada saying, “This isn't just another name on a card, this is living proof that the dream is possible.”
The BBC then broadened the moment by describing the Eagles’ selection of Uar Bernard, saying Obada returned to the draft stage near the end of the seventh round to announce that “Pittsburgh, you are now witnessing history being made.”
The BBC reported that the Eagles selected Bernard with the 251st overall pick, and it described Bernard as “the second player from this year's IPP class to be drafted.”
The elmatsh report also described Bernard’s IPP background, saying he had “earned a spot in the IPP program,” and it quoted Howie Roseman describing the Eagles’ approach as “a labor of love.”
Draft-day ripple effects
Beyond Traore’s own selection, the Dolphins’ draft-day sequencing and roster context shaped how the pick was described by local outlets.
“The Miami Dolphins select Mississippi State Bulldogs tight end Seydou Traore in Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft with the No”
The Phin Phanatic said the Dolphins “doubled up on the tight end position” by selecting Traore as a “developmental prospect to end their 5th round,” and it said the selection “finalizes the Dolphins' trade with the Dallas Cowboys that moved Miami from 11 to 12.”
It also said Miami would “sit out until the 7th round unless they move up,” and it described Traore as a player who “should contribute on special teams.”
The Phinsider reported that the Dolphins made the pick “for the third time in the fifth round,” after selecting safety Michael Taaffe at 158 and wide receiver Kevin Coleman, Jr. at 177, and it said Miami came back at “the 180th selection” to take Traore.
The Miami Herald added roster detail by saying Traore joined a tight end group that included “Greg Dulcich and third-round pick Will Kacmarek,” and it also noted that the Dolphins selected “Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek as No. 7” earlier in the draft.
The Clarion-Ledger framed the selection as a calculated risk by noting that “Many mock drafts didn't have him getting picked,” and it said The Athletic graded Traore as “a seventh-round prospect or priority undrafted free agent.”
