Falcons, Coach's Son Apologize To Shedeur Sanders For Prank NFL Draft Call

ATLANTA, GA — While the White House may have laid claim to the newly drafted Shedeur Sanders' fate during a press briefing Monday, it was a prank call from the son of an Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator to Sanders that has social media swirling.

The NFL Draft 2025 concluded Saturday with Sanders being selected 144th by the Cleveland Browns, but the two-time All-American was first told he would head to New Orleans during a prank call. And, that call ended three days of waiting for Sanders, the son of NFL great and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who was projected as a first-round pick but slid to the fifth round.

Sanders, the quarterback for Colorado, on Friday received a call he thought was from New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis informing him that he would be the team's next pick, according to NFL.com.

Video of Sanders taking the call has since circulated on social media. NFL writers reported the prank call confused Sanders.

It was determined the call came from Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's son, Jax Ulbrich, 21.

"I'd like to apologize for my inexcusable actions. I'm sorry for what I did to you, @ShedeurSanders, but I'd also like to point out that my unnamed friend was the one who dialed you, so please direct all complaints his way. I appreciate your understanding of this childish prank," Jax Ulbrich wrote in a Twitter post published Sunday.

The prank call did not have much of an effect on Sanders, he said during a news conference Saturday, per NFL.com.

The Falcons said the team is cooperating with the NFL, which is investigating the call.

In a statement, the Falcons said: "“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.”

Controversy has surrounded the NFL Draft in recent days as people were left stunned that Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was not chosen in the first round.

Prior to Monday's White House brief, President Donald Trump on Saturday seemed frustrated with "NFL owners" and Sanders sitting un-drafted at the time.

"Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be 'picked' IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.