One of the more unfortunate stories surrounding the 2025 NFL Draft involved the Cleveland Browns’ new quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, and the Indianapolis Colts rookie tight end, Tyler Warren, who both received prank calls that falsely led each player to believe they would be drafted earlier than they were.
Warren heard his name called early in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday by the Colts. But he received a call just minutes earlier, when the New York Jets were on the clock at No. 7 overall, posing as the Jets’ GM and telling Warren that the team was selecting him.
Sources: Penn State TE Tyler Warren was also prank called during the draft, receiving a call when the #Jets were on the clock at No. 7. I’m told Warren’s camp believes it was the same number and/or area code involved in the Shedeur Sanders prank on Friday night.
NFL teams have… pic.twitter.com/dJrF9Ir22s
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 27, 2025
Sanders’ situation was, of course, far more cruel considering his historic draft slide compared to where he was projected to go. He would have to wait another day to ultimately hear his name called by the Browns after receiving a prank call on Day 2 of the draft, where he was told that he would “need to wait a little longer” to be selected.
We now know that Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, was who was behind the Shedeur Sanders prank call. However, this is not a one-off situation, as Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper Dejean similarly dealt with prank callers during the 2024 NFL Draft last year.
In a post on X, former NFL quarterback and sports media personality Robert Griffin III shared his opinion on the prank calls, condemning anyone who would be cruel enough to spoil someone’s experience of being drafted.
“Shedeur Sanders, Tyler Warren, even Cooper DeJean from last year, and any other player that has been prank called during the biggest moment of their life during the NFL draft is disgusting to watch,” wrote Griffin III.
In the post, Griffin also offers some explanation for why someone would want to prank call top prospects on their big day, claiming that this is a further reminder that attention-grabbing is where our culture and media are continuing to head.
“These types of pranks are just a reflection of our society and media moving further and further away from standards and morals towards no-holds-barred sensationalism,” Griffin added. “Let’s be real, sensationalism has been a click and views machine for media forever. Our kids see what is celebrated in the media through content, what is acceptable and what is not. Being outrageous, being high or drunk on the job on broadcast tv, swearing and cursing on air, celebrating misogyny, degrading women, celebrating sexually explicit conversations and celebrating the most extreme stories and behaviors all for the sake of having fun has a negative impact on our youth
“Our youth see these trends and it’s not that a prank call is the end of the world. But now more than ever, the next generation is doing anything and everything to go viral even if it is at the expense of someone else. Even if it is at the expense of themselves. Selling their bodies. Selling their dignity. Selling their souls for a viral moment.”
Shedeur Sanders, Tyler Warren, even Cooper DeJean from last year and any other player has been prank called during the biggest moment of their life during the NFL draft is disgusting to watch.
Sometimes pranks can be funny and I’m all about having a good time. But this wasn’t an…
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 28, 2025
Whether you believe Griffin is onto something about the current landscape of media or you chalk this up to Jax Ulbrich making an immature mistake, it’s hard to argue the fact that what was done to Tyler Warren and Shedeur Sanders was anything other than disrespectful and just flat-out wrong. Hopefully, we won’t see a repeat of this situation in the 2026 NFL Draft next year.
