Seydou Traore

Former tight end at Mississippi State. 2025: 35 catches, 372 receiving yards, 5 TD.

TE · Mississippi State · Sr. · #8

6′4″ · 235 lb · London

CFB Index 61 · #35 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidenceDrafted by Miami — Rd 5, Pick 40, #180 overall

How he plays

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

TD rate: 89th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

372

receiving yards · 2025

35 catches · 5 TD · 10.6 per catch

Swing playSwung Mississippi State from 37% to 57% to win.Texas at Mississippi State · 45-38

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former tight end at Mississippi State. 2025: 35 catches, 372 receiving yards, 5 TD.

Signed with Arkansas State in 2021.
Transferred from Colorado to Mississippi State in 2023.
Drafted round 5 by the Miami in 2026.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Mississippi State, 1,467 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2022) — drafted at #180 overall by Miami.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

The week the volume broke through — put up 120 yds at Memphis.Memphis · L 32-442022

20214 games

Signed with Arkansas Stateout of Clearwater Academy International

202212 games

The role got bigger.

All-Sun Beltfirst

2023

Entered the portal

2026

Drafted by Miamiround 5, pick 180

Career arc

Recruit

—

2021 class

CFB

College

2 teams

2021–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R5 · #180

Miami · 2026

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM

All-Sun Belt 1st team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches

2021–2022

Mike Leach

Mississippi State

2024–2025

Jeff Lebby

Mississippi State

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Leach → Jeff Lebby. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Miami2026 NFL rookie season

#180Rd 5 · Pick 40

Miami2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Arkansas State2-10HC: Butch Jones · Pass-heavy

2022Arkansas State3-9HC: Butch Jones · Balanced

2024Mississippi State2-10HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning

2025Mississippi State5-8HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

61Quality starter #35 of 156?

Medium-low confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (89th percentile). Strength: rec tds (89th percentile). Concern: explosive rate (29th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#85 / 798 · 89th pct

6.5%

EPA / target#225 / 798 · 72nd pct

0.56

Catch rate#285 / 798 · 64th pct

71.7%

Yards / catch#435 / 798 · 45th pct

11.2

Explosive rate#564 / 798 · 29th pct

6.5%

Box-score rates (5)

Rec TDs#14 / 175 · 89th pct

Long catch#23 / 175 · 87th pct

Receptions#34 / 175 · 80th pct

Rec yards#47 / 175 · 73rd pct

372

Yards / catch#87 / 175 · 49th pct

10.6

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

18th → 72nd percentile

Explosive rate

13th → 29th percentile

Catch rate

35th → 64th percentile

TD rate

20th → 89th percentile

Yards / catch

24th → 45th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

26%12 of his 46 targets came on third down · TE median is 22%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	3.5	35.3	9.2	0.5
Road5g	2.8	32.0	11.0	0.4

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-75g	2.4	27.6	9.3	0.6
Weeks 8+6g	3.8	39.0	10.7	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jeff Lebby

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

61 · #35 of 156 TEs

Unranked recruit. Now #35 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Mississippi State	35	372	10.6	5	--
2024	Mississippi State	34	361	10.6	1	--
2022	Arkansas State	50	655	13.1	4	--
2021	Arkansas State	11	79	7.2	0	--
Career		130	1,467	11.3	10	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2025

W 38–35

at Arkansas

3 rec · 9 yds

Edged out Arkansas on the road in a shootout.

With B. Shapen — 242 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 72.2 · 16 rush yds (10 car) · A. Evans III — 16 rush yds (1 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 1 · Southern Miss · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +6.16Blake Shapen pass complete to Seydou Traore for 55 yds for a TD (Kyle Ferrie KICK)
Week 9 · Texas · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.79Seydou Traore 1 Yd pass from Kamario Taylor (Kyle Ferrie Kick)
Week 12 · Missouri · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +2.62(02:47) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 K.Taylor pass complete short right to #8 S.Traore caught at Mizzou01, for 3 yards to the Mizzou00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:47, 1ST DOWN #80 K.Ferrie kick attempt good (H: #49 M.Hauck, LS: #39 K.Cosper)
Week 5 · Tennessee · 3&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.47Blake Shapen pass complete to Seydou Traore for 16 yds to the MSST 41 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Northern Illinois · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45Blake Shapen pass complete to Seydou Traore for 1 yd for a TD (Kyle Ferrie KICK)
Week 14 · Ole Miss · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.38(11:34) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 K.Taylor pass complete short middle to #8 S.Traore caught at MSU42, for 29 yards to the OM 39 (#2 J.Braxton; #16 W.Williams Jr.), 1ST DOWN
Week 11 · Georgia · 4&6 · Q3 · EPA +2.22(05:44) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 K.Taylor pass complete short right to #8 S.Traore caught at UGA01, for 6 yards to the UGA01 (#2 Z.Branch), 1ST DOWN
Week 1 · Southern Miss · 3&4 · Q1 · EPA +2.15Blake Shapen pass complete to Seydou Traore for 12 yds to the MSST 43 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · Tennessee · 2&2 · Q4 · EPA +2.07Blake Shapen pass complete to Seydou Traore for 2 yds for a TD (Kyle Ferrie KICK)
Week 14 · Ole Miss · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.98(11:48) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 K.Taylor pass complete short right to #8 S.Traore caught at OM 47, for 15 yards to the OM 35 (#16 W.Williams Jr.; #3 S.Ryan), 1ST DOWN

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week