Real reason why Shedeur Sanders received prank call during NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jason C. Jones | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 5:20 PM ET

Shedeur Sanders went from being a projected top pick to going in the fifth round during the 2025 NFL Draft. The massive slide left many wondering why the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback was passed on by many teams. Another storyline to come from the dive was Sanders receiving a prank call on a phone provided by the league.

ESPN's Adam Schefter unpacked the draft and touched on one important detail many analysts were talking about on Monday. Sanders decided not to hire an agent before the draft and opted to have guidance from his father, Deion, to deal with correspondence between NFL teams. This was not normal circumstances and having Shedeur's number in a league-wide memo wasn't a smart move.

Yet again, if Sanders had an agent, there would've been no room for error with an agent being in communication with trusted sources.

Another side to the Shedeur Sanders’ slide and the prank call that he subsequently received.

With @tyschmit

https://t.co/bfP466SZe3 pic.twitter.com/zoVWoiMm6y
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2025

The Atlanta Falcons put out a statement and said the prank call placed during the second night of the Draft was traced back to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

They said Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son, Jax, “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number” for Sanders. It was on an “open iPad” while Jax Ulbrich was visiting his parents’ home.

Jax wrote the number down and passed it to a friend for the prank call with him in the room. Per the Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich was not aware of the situation until after the call happened.

“The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family,” the statement reads, adding that the team has reached out to apologize to Sanders directly. The team also facilitated an apology from Jax Ulbrich to Shedeur.“We have also been in contact with the NFL and will continue to cooperate fully with any inquiries we may receive from the NFL league office,” the statement said.

The Falcons are imposing no discipline on Jeff Ulbrich at this time. Whether the NFL takes any action against the team or Ulbrich remains to be seen.

The Falcons said they will be “thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again.”

Sanders eventually was taken with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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