NFL Takes Drastic Measures To Prevent Another Shedeur Sanders 'Prank Call' Disaster From Unfolding At This Year’s Draft

Shedeur Sanders (Photo via Imagn Images)

NFL Takes Drastic Measures To Prevent Another Shedeur Sanders 'Prank Call' Disaster From Unfolding At This Year’s Draft

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Lou Flavius | Last updated Apr 21, 2026 5:47 PM ET

The NFL has taken measures to protect the phone numbers of draft prospects following what happened to Shedeur Sanders last year.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback, then an NFL hopeful, was humiliated on his own live stream. As if his draft slide wasn’t bad enough, the former Colorado star was put through the humiliation of getting pranked.

He received a call from someone claiming to be New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis.

The fake Loomis turned out to be Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. He told Shedeur the would make him the team’s QB, leading to a “legendary” promise from the eventual fifth-round pick.

Shedeur wasn’t the only 2025 prospect who fell victim to a prank call.

Abdul Carter, Isaiah Bond, Ashton Jeanty, Chase Lundt and Kyle McCord were all contacted by folks looking to fool them.

Are We About To Witness A Prank-Free NFL Draft

Players receiving calls from unknown numbers during the selection process always assume it’s from a team looking to draft them. But they’ll be extra wary now.

The NFL is also looking to allay fears with a new rule.

Moving forward, only one person per team will be responsible for prospects’ phone numbers.

“The relevant contact information will be provided by the league to a single point of contact at the club in football operations,” a league spokesperson told ProFootballTalk. “This individual will be responsible for safeguarding the numbers.”

Ulbrich was fined $100,000 for his carelessness; the Falcons were fined $250,000 for failing to protect Sanders’ number.

The above suggests that the person responsible for those numbers within each team would automatically assume culpability in the event of a leak.

Jax obtained Shedeur’s number in an email he accessed through his father’s iPad.

With $100,000 reasons plus (probably) a job at stake, we imagine whoever’s in charge of players’ numbers will be guarding them with their lives.

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

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