MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins signed first-round cornerback Chris Johnson and fifth-round tight end Seydou Traore, the team announced, locking up two 2026 NFL Draft selections that include a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and the first alumnus of the NFL Academy ever drafted.
Johnson, selected 27th overall, arrives from San Diego State as a four-year letterman and two-year starter who appeared in 47 career games with 23 starts. He recorded 152 tackles (105 solo), 1.0 sack, 3.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions with two returned for a touchdown, 20 passes defensed and five forced fumbles. The 21-year-old from Eastvale, Calif., stands 6-0 and weighs 193 pounds.
As a senior in 2025, Johnson earned second-team All-America honors and was a first-team All-Mountain West selection. He was named Co-Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to college football’s top defensive back. His two interceptions returned for touchdowns were tied for the most in the FBS that season.
Traore, taken 180th overall, brings an international pedigree unlike any player in league history. Born in France and raised in England, the 23-year-old tight end was a member of the NFL Academy — the league’s global initiative to expand the game of football and create pathways for international talent by providing full-time high-school education alongside intensive training in American football — and its first alum to be drafted. He stands 6-4 and weighs 235 pounds.
Traore appeared in 48 career games with 37 starts over five collegiate seasons, spending two years at Arkansas State (2021-22) and three at Mississippi State (2023-25). He recorded 131 receptions for 1,480 yards (11.3 avg.) and 10 touchdowns across those five seasons.
Both rookies are expected to report to the Dolphins’ training facility in Miami Gardens when the team opens training camp later this summer.