Seydou Traoré’s first encounter with American football came through a weekly NFL program on British TV that featured former players Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora. Decades later, he finds himself the very subject of that same analysis, having earned a spot in the NFL Draft. The Mississippi State tight end, born in France and brought up in the United Kingdom, hails from South London and was chosen by the Miami Dolphins with the 180th overall selection. His journey to this moment has been anything but conventional.

As a child he guarded the net on soccer pitches, dreaming like countless other British youngsters of a professional football (soccer) career. Today he cradles an oval ball as a tight end, swapping the green fields of South London for the swamps of Florida, the plains of Arkansas, and the red‑clay stadiums of Mississippi. “I didn’t start playing American football until I was a teenager,” the 23‑year‑old explains. “My first experience was with the London Warriors, a club that was only about ten minutes from my house.” He grew up in the Westmoreland area of South London, where he tried every sport his school offered—soccer, rugby, basketball—anything he could get his hands on.

“Soccer was my first love, but once I discovered American football I fell in love with it. I spent a year at the NFL Academy during the COVID‑19 pandemic, then moved to Clearwater Academy in Florida to continue developing.” At Clearwater, Traoré recorded 26 receptions for 433 yards and three touchdowns in a single season, earning a three‑star recruit rating. He committed to Arkansas State University, where he quickly proved his worth.

"Playing American football in London is a rarity; only a handful of people back home truly understand the scale of the sport abroad," he says. Explaining his decision to his family was a challenge.

"I had to tell them I was going to travel halfway around the world to play a game they barely knew. They trusted me because they saw my determination.

They knew if I set my mind on something, I would chase it relentlessly." Traoré’s impact at Arkansas State was immediate. He led the Sun Belt Conference in tight‑end receptions during his freshman year, finishing with 62 catches for 752 yards and four touchdowns across two seasons. His performance earned him First‑Team All‑Sun Belt honors and attracted attention from larger programs.

After a brief stint at the University of Colorado, he entered the transfer portal again and landed at Mississippi State, where he would spend the final chapter of his college career. The move to Mississippi State brought a new perspective on the magnitude of college football in the United States.

"Last year my family visited the U.S. for the first time and attended a few of my games. Seeing the stadiums, the crowds, the media attention—it was an eye‑opener. The scale of college sports here is massive, far beyond what I could have imagined back in London." One of his most vivid memories came from a game at Ohio State while he was still at Arkansas State.

"It was my first time playing in front of over 100,000 fans. The roar, the lights, the atmosphere—it was surreal. That night I truly realized I was part of something huge," he recalls. His path was not without setbacks.

NCAA transfer rules forced him to sit out the 2023 season after leaving Colorado, a disappointment that could have derailed his momentum. He had been looking forward to working with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders and sharing the field with two‑position star Travis Hunter, now a Jacksonville Jaguar.

Instead, the enforced hiatus became a period of introspection. "It reminded me that opportunities don’t always come on a schedule. I had to stay ready, keep training, and remember why I’m here.

I refused to waste the time in my dorm; I dug deeper and focused on preparation," he says. Living in the American South for five years has also reshaped his lifestyle. "I’m still the same person, but the South feels like countryside compared to the hustle of London.

The pace is slower, more peaceful, and it has taught me tranquility," he notes. He emphasizes perseverance: "You have to keep knocking on doors. When one finally opens, walk through it and see what’s on the other side." By the end of his college tenure, Traoré amassed 126 receptions for 1,402 yards and ten touchdowns, five of which came in his final season.

He often spent moments after practice gazing at photos of Mississippi State’s NFL alumni displayed on the indoor facility’s wall, visualizing his own future among them. Despite the glamour of the NFL, he remains grounded in his origins. "I always remember my roots—where I grew up, the fields next to my house where I ran routes as a kid.

I want people back home to see that it’s possible, that they can chase their dreams no matter how unlikely they seem. My message is simple: if you care deeply about something, pursue it.

Ignore the doubts, the maybes, and the ‘ifs.’ If it’s in your heart, it can become reality."