Seydou Traore (born 12 August 2002) is an English professional American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Traore played college football for the Arkansas State Red Wolves and Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
| No. 49 – Miami Dolphins | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 12 August 2002 France |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 244 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Clearwater Academy (Clearwater, Florida, U.S.) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 5th round, 180th overall pick |
| CFL draft | 2026G: 2nd round, 16th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editTraore was born in France but raised in London, England, where he grew up playing association football, mainly as a goalkeeper.[1][2] He is of Algerian and Ivorian origin. After attending the NFL Academy, he moved to Clearwater, Florida, in hopes of getting a Division I scholarship.[3] Traore attended Clearwater Academy as a senior, recording 433 yards and three touchdowns with 26 receptions.[4] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football at Arkansas State University.
College career
editArkansas State
editAfter playing sparingly as a freshman in 2021, Traore tallied his first career touchdown against Grambling State, the following year.[5] He finished the season with a total of 50 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns.[6][7] After leading the Sun Belt Conference in receptions, Traore was named to the First-team All-Sun Belt.[8][9] At the season's end, Traore entered the transfer portal, where he would transfer to the University of Colorado. However, he reentered the transfer portal after just one semester at Colorado.[10][11]
Mississippi State
editA top ranked transfer, on 8 July 2023, Traore announced he would be transferring to Mississippi State University to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[12][13] During the 2023 season, Traore was forced to sit out, due to NCAA transfer rules.[14]
College statistics
edit| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
| 2021 | Arkansas State | 11 | 12 | 97 | 8.1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Arkansas State | 12 | 50 | 655 | 13.1 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | DNP | |||||
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 12 | 34 | 361 | 10.6 | 1 | |
| 2025 | Mississippi State | 11 | 30 | 291 | 9.7 | 5 | |
| Career | 46 | 126 | 1,404 | 11.1 | 10 | ||
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) | 244 lb (111 kg) | 33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 8+3⁄8 in (2.04 m) | 4.65 s | 1.65 s | 2.68 s | 4.38 s | 7.09 s | 40.0 in (1.02 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) | 25 reps |
| All values from HBCU Combine/Pro Day[15] | ||||||||||||
Traore was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round (180th overall) in the 2026 NFL draft. He became the first player to be drafted after having graduated from the NFL Academy, and the third to be chosen after having been through the International Player Pathway.[16] Additionally, Traore was drafted in the second round (16th overall) by the BC Lions in the 2026 CFL global draft.[17]
References
edit- ↑ King, Tyler (4 April 2023). "All the way from London, tight end Seydou Traore working to become vital weapon for Colorado". Denver Gazette. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "Seydou Traore a Prospect to Know Just Three Games Into Prep Career". SI All-American. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ Burger, Kyle (12 November 2020). "Clearwater Academy's Traore chases college football dreams from London". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "Football: International football journey brings tight end Seydou Traore to CU Buffs". The Denver Post. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ ""I'm enjoying the process." London, England's Seydou Traore and his journey to division one football". JZ MEDIA. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ Borba, Kevin (8 July 2023). "Former Colorado tight end Seydou Traore to transfer to Mississippi State". Capital Journal. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "ASU to take flight with new wide receiver crop". Arkansas Online. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ Hudgison, Chris (9 July 2023). "Former A-State TE Seydou Traore commits to Mississippi State". K8. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "Traore, Zvada lead A-State's All-SBC honorees". Jonesboro Sun. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "CU Buffs lose Seydou Traore to transfer portal, add JUCO lineman". The Denver Post. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ "Colorado Buffaloes add three former 4-Stars, lose TE Seydou Traore via portal".
- ↑ Smith, Danny P. (8 July 2023). "Bulldogs get football commit from Traore". Starkville Daily News. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ Gray, Nick (8 July 2023). "Colorado transfer WR Seydou Traore enrolls at Mississippi State football | Report". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ↑ Rosenberg, Benjamin (20 April 2024). "London native Traore looking to give Bulldogs much-needed tight end production". The Dispatch. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ↑ "Seydou Traore College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ Collins, Ben (26 April 2026). "Dolphins pick British tight end Traore in NFL Draft". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Global draft tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved 9 March 2026.