The phone call that made Briton an NFL trailblazer
Seydou Traore, a 23-year-old from south London, has become the first graduate of England's NFL Academy to be selected in the NFL Draft, being picked by the Miami Dolphins. His journey began when he discovered American football at 16 after playing as a goalkeeper, before joining the inaugural intake of the NFL Academy in 2019, a programme designed to help international players earn US college scholarships and prepare for a professional career.
The odds against him were steep: roughly one million teenagers play high school American football in the US each year, with only about 0.08% reaching the NFL. Traore's path took him to Florida's Clearwater Academy after a highlight video caught the attention of head coach Jesse Chinchar, and he spent five years away from his family in London to pursue the dream. His mother's emotional reaction to the draft call, including a traditional celebratory trilling sound, went viral online.
- Seydou Traore becomes first NFL Academy graduate drafted into the NFL
- London-born player picked by the Miami Dolphins after years in the US
- His mother's emotional draft-day reaction went viral
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Seydou Traore, a 23-year-old from south London, has become the first graduate of the NFL Academy to be selected in the NFL Draft, through which American professional football teams recruit new players. The Miami Dolphins selected him, marking a milestone for a programme designed to develop international players in American football.
The NFL Academy is an English programme launched in 2019 to help young players from outside the United States gain the training needed to earn scholarships at American colleges and pursue professional careers. Traore discovered American football at 16 whilst working as a goalkeeper and joined the academy's inaugural intake, then spent five years in Florida training at Clearwater Academy before his selection.
The achievement is significant because the route to professional American football is extraordinarily narrow. Each year, roughly one million American teenagers play high school football, yet fewer than one in one thousand reach the professional level, making Traore's progression exceptionally rare.