2025 NFL Draft was kicked up a notch with the Caleb Williams drama. On April 26, 2025, the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 NFL Draft chose Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. The judging event this year was held in beautiful Green Bay, Wisconsin. It even showed the name Sanders prominently on the draft screen, creating a historic moment in his football journey. Sadly, the happiness of this achievement was dampened with the prank call affair. In the eyes of fans and analysts alike, this unforeseen circumstance was particularly mesmerizing.
Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, made headlines after he obtained Shedeur Sanders’ phone number from an open iPad at his parents’ home. Scott ended our initial conversation with one last jab — pulling a prank call on Sanders right after. Teammate DeJean subsequently reposted it to social media. In a post addressing the situation, DeJean expressed regret, stating, “I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish.”
The Atlanta Falcons organization has since apologized to the Sanders family for the prank phone call. Unfortunately, this incident wasn’t a one-off, as other draft prospects were subjected to similar pranks throughout the course of the event. Warren’s fabricated draft notice was a phone call from the New York Jets. In other news, UConn Huskies Chase Lundt showed off a great prank that was played on him moments before he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. Mason Graham, a Michigan prospect, was the Browns’ first-round selection. He’s just one of the millions who have been caught up in this absurdity.
Allen Graham, Mason Graham’s father, just addressed this in the context of how ridiculous this prank is. He disclosed that someone posted his son’s number in a TikTok and it led to all sorts of constant ringin’ calls. “Someone made a TikTok while crank calling him & showed his number on the video … his phone was getting called nonstop,” he explained.
The culmination of these prank calls and their subsequent impact made waves around the respect and professionalism that needs to be honored during the draft process. This is what NFL analyst Adam Schefter had to say on the matter. He stressed that these pranks make a huge joke out of this really important time for developing young athletes. “This is about young college men on the brink of realizing their NFL dreams, getting calls from other college students mocking them and joking around with them at a time when there’s nothing funny about it,” Schefter remarked.
He further noted that “the NFL could have thought more about disseminating a popular player’s number, but the truth is, somehow, everybody needs a way to reach that player on draft day.” This unfortunate incident is a reminder of the difficulties in keeping decorum at such a high-profile and celebrated event for our country’s future Olympians.
