Imagine sitting in a room surrounded by your entire family, cameras rolling, and every nerve in your body screaming. You’ve worked fifteen years for this. Then, the phone buzzes. An area code from a city with an NFL team flashes on the screen. You pick up, your voice shaking, and a guy on the other end says, "We're taking you with the next pick."
You celebrate. Your mom cries. Then, ten minutes later, you realize it was a kid in a dorm room with a burner app.
Honestly, NFL draft prank calls are the lowest form of "humor" in the sports world, but in 2025, they turned into a full-blown security crisis for the league. We aren't just talking about random trolls anymore. We’re talking about massive data breaches, six-figure fines, and the kind of emotional whiplash that can ruin the biggest night of a young man's life.
The Shedeur Sanders Incident That Changed Everything
The 2025 NFL Draft was already a circus, but the prank call to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders took things to a dark place. As Sanders was sliding down the draft board—eventually landing in the fifth round—he received a call from someone pretending to be New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis.
It wasn't just a random fan.
The investigation revealed that the caller was Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Basically, Jax saw a "confidential" email on his dad's iPad at home, swiped Shedeur’s private contact info, and decided to have some fun.
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The NFL didn't find it funny. Not even a little bit.
The league slapped the Atlanta Falcons with a $250,000 fine and docked Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 personally. That’s $350,000 for a phone call. For context, the signing bonus for the 144th pick (where Sanders eventually went) was around $349,000. The fine literally cost more than the player’s initial bonus.
It’s Not Just One Guy
While the Sanders story grabbed the headlines because of the names involved, he was far from the only victim. The 2025 draft was basically "Open Season" on prospects.
- Tyler Warren: The Penn State tight end was pranked while the New York Jets were on the clock at No. 7. He thought he was staying in the Northeast; instead, he had to wait until the mid-teens to actually get the real call from the Colts.
- Isaiah Bond: This one was particularly mean. The Texas receiver was struggling with a draft slide and received a fake call from someone claiming to be with the Falcons. Bond was caught on video saying, "You're getting a baller." He ended up going undrafted.
- Cooper DeJean: Back in 2024, the Eagles star actually spoke about getting dozens of prank calls. He nearly missed the actual call from Philadelphia because he was so fed up with the fake ones.
Think about that. A kid is about to become a millionaire and fulfill a lifelong dream, but he’s hesitant to answer the phone because "PackersFan69" is calling to troll him. It’s a mess.
Why Is This Happening Now?
Security is the big issue. The NFL distributes a "Draft Contact List" to all 32 teams. This list contains the cell phone numbers of every draftable prospect, their agents, and often their parents.
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The problem? Roughly 1,600 people across the league have access to this data. All it takes is one assistant coach leaving his laptop open or one scout’s kid being a jerk, and that list is out in the wild.
In the case of Shedeur Sanders, the league had sent out a specific email with his new phone number because he was trying to avoid the trolls. By sending that email to everyone, the NFL inadvertently gave the trolls exactly what they needed. Talk about a backfire.
How Teams Are Fighting Back
The league is currently scrambling to fix this before the 2026 draft. You’ve probably heard rumors about "NFL Burner Phones," and honestly, they aren't far off.
Some agents have started buying their clients brand-new, unlisted phones 48 hours before the draft. These numbers are only given to a handful of GMs. Other teams are moving toward FaceTime-only notifications. If the player can't see the "War Room" behind the person calling, they don't believe it.
General Manager Jason Licht mentioned on the Rich Eisen Show that even FaceTime isn't perfect, but it’s a lot harder to fake than a voice on a grainy cell connection.
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What This Means for the Future
The "Human Element" of the draft is what makes it great. We love seeing the raw emotion when a kid gets the call. But if every player is sitting there skeptical and guarded, we lose that.
The NFL is likely going to centralize the contact process. Instead of 32 teams having a master spreadsheet, the league might act as a switchboard. Or, more likely, they’ll just keep handing out massive fines until the teams realize that "protecting the iPad" is a $350,000 responsibility.
Actionable Steps for Future Prospects and Fans
If you're a college player or even just a fan watching the chaos unfold, here is the reality of the situation:
- Prospects need a "Draft Day" number: Never use your primary cell. Get a temporary line that only your agent and the league office have.
- Verify the Area Code: It sounds simple, but if the Jaguars are on the clock and you get a call from a 904 number, it’s a good sign. If it’s a 212 (New York) number claiming to be Jacksonville? Hang up.
- Wait for the TV Scroll: Most GMs call just before the name is submitted. If your name hasn't popped up or the "The Pick Is In" graphic hasn't appeared for the team calling you, stay cautious.
- Don't Post Numbers: It sounds obvious, but family members often leak numbers in the excitement of a draft party by showing a phone screen to a "Live" stream.
The 2025 cycle proved that the league's old-school way of sharing info is broken. Whether it's through technology or just better discipline, the era of the easy NFL draft prank call is hopefully coming to an end. It's just not worth the fine—or the cruelty.
For those tracking the 2026 draft prospects, keep an eye on how the league handles the "Official Contact List" this year. Security protocols are expected to be the tightest they've been in decades.