While many of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) players have entered the program with little to no knowledge of American football, Seydou Traore is as league-ready as a prospect from London could be.
'Ziko', the tight end best known for his time at Mississippi State Bulldogs, was part of the NFL Academy in London's initial intake following its May 2019 launch. While the academy is designed to cater to international talents in their late teens, the IPP Program generally involves a fast turnaround for athletes in their twenties looking to make an NFL roster within a year.
Traore arrived into the IPP Program as a ready-made prospect with significant NCAA Division I experience and time under his belt with one of the coaches responsible for Travis Kelce's rise to Kansas City Chiefs fame.
Traore told ESPN: "When I started playing tight end, the coach that actually recruited me was Butch Jones at Arkansas State [in 2021] and he actually coached Travis Kelce [at the University of Cincinnati].
"That instantly clicked and I was watching a bunch of Travis Kelce tapes [as well as] George Kittle. Those two were the first two [tight ends] that I looked to."
British-Ivorian-Algerian tight end Seydou Traore starred at MSU and is in contention at the NFL Draft this weekend. NFL/Supplied Traore's heritage is tied to two African countries who have a particular love for soccer, and he initially played as a goalkeeper.
"My dad is from Côte d'Ivoire and my mom is French-Algerian. I was born and raised in London. I actually used to play [association] football or soccer or whatever you call it... I actually played rugby too... It was in my late teenage years that I picked up [American] football," he said.
Traore credits his time playing football, rugby and even basketball for helping him develop the movement skills needed for the sport that has now put him on the brink of stardom.
He added: "It was actually from a lifeguard working at my local pool that suggested I go ahead and play for my local team and that was London Warriors in South London. It ended up being like 10 minutes away from my house and I kind of fell in love with the sport from there.