The first two days of the 2025 NFL draft were dominated by what didn’t happen – namely the free fall of University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, a presumed first-round pick, and the intense scrutiny and reaction from traditional and social media that followed.
Sanders’ plight was exacerbated Friday – Rounds 2 and 3 passed that night without his selection – when he also received a prank phone call that he initially thought to be from general manager Mickey Loomis of the New Orleans Saints, a team then believed to have interest in Sanders. (Loomis actually chose Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round with the 40th overall pick.)
Sunday afternoon, the identity of one of the pranksters was confirmed – necessitating a surprise apology from yet another NFL club which employs the caller’s father as its defensive coordinator.
The Atlanta Falcons released a statement, which read: ‘Earlier in the week, Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call. Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made aware of the above only after the fact.
‘The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family, who we have been in contact with to apologize to, as well as facilitate an apology directly from Jax to the Sanders family.
‘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.
‘We are thoroughly reviewing all protocols, and updating if necessary, to help prevent an incident like this from happening again.’
Jax Ulbrich issued a statement of his own apologizing to Sanders, calling his actions ‘completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful.’ Jax Ulbrich also claimed to have spoken on the phone with Sanders and thanked him for taking the call.
The NFL has been investigating the matter since the incident occurred and has been in contact with the Falcons.
Sanders, a son of Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, was eventually drafted Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. His wait sparked intense debate about why NFL teams were passing on him, speculation running amok about his pre-draft interviews, his famous father’s role and – in the simplest terms – his talent level and where it should appropriately slot him, though few draft observers prognosticated him to go any later than the second round.
The debate reached a heated level on ESPN’s air Saturday afternoon, when longtime draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., an ardent supporter of Shedeur Sanders’ abilities, blasted the NFL.
Friday’s prank call began with Sanders answering his phone and saying, ‘What’s going on?’
He then put the call on speaker phone for those gathered around to hear at his draft party in Texas.
“This is Mickey Loomis here, of the Saints,’ the voice on the other end says.
The prankster told Sanders: ‘It’s been a long wait, man. We’re gonna take you with our next pick right here, man.’
Sanders replied: ‘Yes sir, let’s be legendary.’
The prank continued, ‘But you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. Sorry about that.’
The phone call ended and Sanders is seen saying, ‘What does that mean?’
Later Friday night, after the third round finished with him still on the board, Sanders posted on X: ‘Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING.’
Jeff Ulbrich spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired following the 2009 campaign and immediately moved into the coaching ranks as an assistant and steadily climbed the ladder. He was hired by the Falcons in January after spending most of last season as the New York Jets’ interim head coach.
Shedeur Sanders’ brother, former Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, went undrafted but agreed to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent Saturday evening.
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