Seydou Traoré’s first encounter with American football came not on a field but in front of a television screen, where he watched the weekly NFL analysis show hosted by Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora on British TV. That early glimpse sparked a fascination that has now taken him to the brink of the 2026 NFL Draft, where he will be listed as a tight end from Mississippi State. Born in France and raised in the bustling neighborhoods of South London, Traoré embodies the growing global footprint of the sport as he prepares to become the latest international prospect to hear his name called. When you sit down with Traoré, you are struck by his composed demeanor.
He carries a calm, laser‑focused presence that rarely gives way to the emotional outbursts that many draft hopefuls display during the high‑pressure week leading up to the selections. Still, he admits that the moment his name is announced will likely stir a deep, personal reaction. "It’s definitely going to be a special moment," he told Sky Sports.
"I’m not the most emotional person when the calls are being made, but there will definitely be an emotional moment." His journey to this point has been anything but conventional. As a child, Traoré was a goalkeeper on the soccer pitches of South London, dreaming of a future in the beautiful game. The transition from catching soccer balls to catching footballs as a tight end is a narrative that reads like a novel. The parks and schoolyards of Westmoreland, South London, gradually gave way to the humid fields of Florida, the red‑clay stadiums of Arkansas, and finally the storied campus of Mississippi State.
"I picked up American football pretty late in my teenage years," the 23‑year‑old explains. "The first time I played was with the London Warriors, who were only about ten minutes from my house. Growing up in South London, I fell in love with the sport. Before that I was playing soccer, rugby, basketball—anything the school offered.
Soccer was my first love, but once I started football I ended up spending a year at the NFL Academy during the COVID‑19 pandemic, then moved to Clearwater Academy in Florida." At Clearwater, Traoré recorded 26 receptions for 433 yards and three touchdowns in a single season, earning a three‑star recruit rating and a scholarship to Arkansas State University. He reflects on the rarity of his path: "Playing American football in London, only the other people who do it understand how big the sport is overseas. Explaining to my family that I’d travel half the world to play was a challenge. They didn’t really understand the game, but they trusted my determination." His breakout came during his freshman year at Arkansas State, where he led the Sun Belt Conference in tight‑end receptions, finishing with 62 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns over two seasons.
That performance earned him First‑Team All‑Sun Belt honors and caught the attention of larger programs. After a brief stint at the University of Colorado, Traoré entered the transfer portal and landed at Mississippi State, a move that would prove pivotal. The first time his family visited the United States was during the 2025 season, a trip that opened their eyes to the scale of college football. "When I tell them I’m playing university sports, it doesn’t convey how massive college athletics are in America.
Seeing a stadium with over 100,000 fans at Ohio State was surreal. That was my first real ‘wow, I’m really here’ moment," he recalls. However, the transatlantic journey was not without setbacks. NCAA transfer rules forced Traoré to sit out the 2023 season after his short tenure at Colorado, a disappointment that could have derailed his momentum.
Yet he turned the hiatus into a lesson in perseverance. "It reinforced what I already knew about myself—that I will chase every opportunity and grab it with both hands. Just because I’m not playing this season doesn’t mean there won’t be a chance next year.
It’s about preparation and remembering why I’m here. I’m not going to stay in my dorm sulking; I have to dig deep and stay focused," he said. Traoré is a product of the inaugural class of the NFL Academy, which opened in Barnet in 2019.
The program gave him a foundation that, combined with his experiences in Arkansas and Mississippi, shaped a young man who can still claim the same core traits he grew up with in London, while also embracing the slower, more relaxed rhythm of the American South. "I’m still the same person, but living in the South for five years taught me a different way of life. It’s more countryside, slower pace, more tranquility," he observes.
His outlook remains serene as the draft approaches. In an NFL UK documentary, he summed up his philosophy: "You just have to keep knocking, keep trying different doors, because something will open. When it does, step inside and see what’s there for you." By the end of his college career, Traoré amassed 126 receptions for 1,402 yards and ten touchdowns, with half of those scores coming in his final season at Mississippi State. He often spent moments after practice gazing at the wall of NFL alumni photos in the team’s indoor facility, visualizing his own name among them.
Never forgetting his roots, Traoré says, "I always remember where I grew up. I want people back home to feel inspired, to see that it’s possible. Those same grass fields next to my house are where I ran routes as a kid. The environment in London reminds me of how far I’ve come.
My message is simple: if you care about something deeply, chase it. Don’t listen to the ifs, buts, and maybes.
If it’s in your heart, it’s possible." Fans can watch all three days of the 2026 NFL Draft live on Sky Sports, with the first day kicking off at 1 a.m. on Friday morning. Traoré’s story—spanning continents, sports, and setbacks—offers a compelling example of how determination and global opportunity can converge on the grand stage of professional football.