Shedeur Sanders, a dynamic quarterback and star for Colorado, stole the show at the 2025 NFL Draft. Drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall selection in the fifth round. His name appeared in large type on the draft presentation screen. For DaVonte, this milestone represented an important personal and professional milestone. Lee’s moment was marred by a prank call he received just before the time he was drafted.
As memorable as the exchange itself was, the prank call actually came from Jax Ulbrich, the 21-year-old talented son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. That’s how Jax was able to get Shedeur’s phone number after finding an open iPad at Shedeur’s parents’ house. The call was intended to be a joke. Once posted on social media, the call received immediate national attention. So many were rightfully outraged over the disrespect displayed toward Sanders on what should have been one of the happiest days of his life.
Shedeur Sanders further called out the incident, saying he was sorry it was a distraction. In an Instagram post, he acknowledged, “I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish.” The gravity of the situation, masked by the humorous nature of his comments, belies how seriously he understands his situation.
The Atlanta Falcons organization quickly responded to the incident, issuing an apology to the Sanders family for the prank call. The intervention led to a national debate about whether or not these kinds of protests are suitable during milestone moments for children. Sports commentator Adam Schefter remarked on the matter, stating, “This is about young college men on the brink of realizing their NFL dreams, getting calls from other college students mocking them and joking around with them at a time when there’s nothing funny about it.” He noted this is a missed opportunity and how the NFL could have done a better job of promoting such a big, popular player’s number. This underscores the challenges of drafting day communications.
Witnesses reported that Jax Ulbrich’s prank call was disruptive enough to inundate Shedeur’s phone with calls. Allen Graham, a friend of Sanders, commented, “Someone made a TikTok while crank calling him & showed his number on the video … his phone was getting called nonstop.” This case highlights the dangers of revealing private data in stressful circumstances.
