By Martyn Herman
LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - When Seydou Traore's name was called by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last week, it was music to the ears of Kris Durham, the former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver who now heads the UK-based NFL Academy.
South London-raised Traore was one of the original intake at the Academy in 2019 and is proof that an unconventional pathway to the NFL is possible.
"Seydou's paved a path for the future generations and the generations after that,"
Durham told Reuters.
The Academy was created to unearth and polish international talent ready to be fed into the American college system and for Traore, a promising soccer goalkeeper, it was a natural fit.
After moving to the Clearwater Academy in Florida for his final school year, he carved out an impressive college football career as a tight end, firstly with Arkansas State and then the Mississippi State Bulldogs where last season he made 35 receptions and five touchdowns.
Traore admits it was a surreal moment when he was selected by the Dolphins while for Durham, who has managed the NFL Academy since 2025, it was a moment of validation.
"It's just an incredible story that shows it doesn't matter where you come from, you can be an international kid and make it to the NFL," he said.
Traore was with Premier League club Fulham's development programme as a goalie before falling for American football, first on TV, and then as a player with London Warriors, playing in front of sparse crowds.
INTANGIBLE THINGS
At 6ft 3ins and 244 pounds, Traore's explosive athleticism, ball-tracking and catching skills all caught the eye. But what really marks him out, says Durham, is his mindset.
"He's always had the measurables, the size, the speed, the hands. But it's the intangible things, his ability to understand what's happening before it happens," he said. "He's almost playing chess instead of checkers. That's what's elevated him beyond his peers."
The NFL Academy program, now based at Loughborough University, has 68 individuals from 20 different countries on its current roster while 40 of its alumni are now playing NCAA college football.
Statistics show that a tiny fraction of American college players - 1.6% - will ever reach the NFL. For internationals, it is even more of a long shot but Traore's journey offers some hope to those dreamers not from the sport's heartland.
"Being American myself, having played the game, I've seen what Europeans and international students bring to it," Durham said. "It's a level of maturity, a level of determination because they've had to fight stereotypes.
"When they're going through the recruiting process, the question is why should they recruit somebody from England over a kid from Mississippi or Texas? Seydou's answered those questions. He's changing the narrative.
"He's kind of the godfather of what we're doing."
At the draft in Pittsburgh, Traore's name was read out by Efe Obada, another London-raised player who crossed the Atlantic to forge an NFL career, most notably with the Carolina Panthers.
"He was like a pioneer for international guys," Traore said. "He showed what's possible. It meant a lot for him to kind of pass the torch to me."
It is a long road ahead to match the feats of Obada, let alone his idol Travis Kelce, but for Durham, Traore's progress is already a victory for the NFL Academy.
"Do I think we're going to start having an influx of NFL Academy players into the league. Absolutely, I 100% do," he said. "If we can get players into those locker rooms to showcase who they are, then that's where they're going to really accelerate their careers."
(Editing bu Pritha Sarkar)
