Dolphins pick British tight end Traore in NFL Draft

Spor dünyasında son dakika haberi: Dolphins pick British tight end Traore in NFL Draft To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, GB's Traore selected by Miami Dolphins in NFL Draft By Ben Collins Sport journalist Published 23 minutes ago 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. 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.

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"This isn't just another name on a card, this is living proof that the dream is possible," said 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. He played college football for five years, earning a scholarship with Arkansas State in 2021 before transferring to Mississippi State in 2023. Now 6ft 4in and weighing 244lb (111kg), he caught a total of 131 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns in college, scoring five of those TDs last season.

' - UK teen takes next step on path to NFL dream Published 12 October 2023 Eagles put faith in Bernard 'passion project' Obada, who was born in Nigeria, returned to the draft stage right before the end of the seventh and final round to say "Pittsburgh, you are now witnessing history being made". He then announced that with the 251st overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles had selected Bernard, making him the second player from this year's IPP class to be drafted. The 21-year-old, who has been working as a personal trainer, has not yet played organised football but his potential was identified during NFL training camps in Africa.

He earned a spot on the IPP programme, where his athleticism astounded NFL scouts and thrust him into contention for a late-round pick. "It's a dream come true for me because I've worked hard for this," Bernard said. "I've not played football, but I've gone through some drills that made me believe that I'm going to get better every day.

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