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Shedeur and Shilo Sanders both landed spots on NFL teams, but things didn’t go as smoothly as expected. Many anticipated their selection earlier, so their later picks were disappointing. What made the weekend even more memorable, though, was a prank call — one that caught Shedeur off guard and quickly became the talk of the town. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Shilo revealed that he also received the same prank call.

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This Tuesday, ML Football shared some disheartening news on X: “🚨🚨THIS IS AWFUL🚨🚨 SHILO SANDERS RECEIVED A PRANK CALL THAT HE WAS BEING DRAFTED BY THE #TEXANS… He actually thought Houston could potentially draft him. … Shilo continued to fall in the draft and went UNDRAFTED. His brother Shedeur was also pranked.💔” That was just heartbreaking. Getting that kind of fake hope hit Shilo hard.

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🚨🚨THIS IS AWFUL🚨🚨

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SHILO SANDERS RECEIVED A PRANK CALL THAT HE WAS BEING DRAFTED BY THE #TEXANS… He actually thought Houston could potentially draft him.

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… Shilo continued to fall in the draft and went UNDRAFTED. His brother Shedeur was also pranked.

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(Via @realsteiny) pic.twitter.com/TsIWJtDBgH

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 30, 2025

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After that rough fall, Shilo decided it was time for a change. First move? Firing his dad. Their father, NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, essentially represented both Sanders brothers, heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Deion isn’t a licensed agent, but they leaned on him instead of hiring one. That all changed right after the draft. Shilo cut ties with Deion and signed with powerhouse NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus.

He even joked about it Saturday on Twitch: “Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too well. So, today I had to sign with an agent.” At first, people weren’t sure if he was being serious — until Rosenhaus confirmed it later that night.

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Shilo entered the 2025 draft as a possible late-round pick. While he went undrafted, he quickly landed a spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Deion — maybe still acting like his agent — broke the news on Twitch. Meanwhile, Shedeur took an even bigger plunge. Expected to go in the first round, he didn’t hear his name called until the Browns snagged him in round five — one of the wildest falls in recent draft history.

In college, Shilo — a safety — recorded 170 tackles, one sack, and one interception. After two seasons at South Carolina, he joined his dad at Colorado, saw more playing time with the Buffaloes, and made it onto some draft boards. Still, going undrafted pushed him to make a key decision: this time, hire a legitimate agent. Even with Shilo and Shedeur, he received four more prank calls, and that’s just gross.

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More than Shilo and Shedeur: Draft pranks hit multiple prospects

An interesting tidbit from the 2025 NFL Draft was the wave of prank calls targeting several prospects, with individuals pretending to be NFL teams. Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, was one of the main targets, but he wasn’t alone. Other players, including tight end Tyler Warren, defensive lineman Mason Graham, and quarterback Kyle McCord, also fell victim to these fake calls during the draft.

The origin of the pranks — whether it was the work of one person or a group — remains a mystery. Allen Graham, Mason’s father, told the Detroit Free Press that someone targeted his son: “Yeah — that happened. Someone made a TikTok while prank-calling him and showed his number in the video… his phone was getting called nonstop.”

In another incident, pranksters publicly revealed Mason Graham’s phone number in a now-deleted social media video, adding to the chaos and stress already surrounding draft weekend.

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Despite the chaos, ͏͏the C͏level͏and B͏rown͏s ͏drafted Graham as the fif͏th pi͏͏ck͏. O͏n͏ th͏e oth͏er ͏h͏and, Sh͏edeur ͏Sa͏͏nders’ dr͏aft ͏jo͏urn͏e͏y took ͏an u͏͏nexpected tu͏rn. The Browns picked him at No. 144, even though early projections had him going as high as No. 2. During Night 1 of the draft, Sanders received a call while the New Orleans Saints were on the clock. The caller pretended to be Mickey Loomis, the Saints’ general manager — but it turned out to be a prank. Later, they identified Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, as the prank caller.

The Atlanta Falcons clarified that they were unaware of Jax’s actions and stated that they had contacted the NFL about the incident. Despite public outrage over the pranks, it appears the NFL will not punish the Falcons — at least not yet. It’ll be interesting to see if that changes, especially given the backlash from fans and players like Sheryl Swoopes, who openly expressed their disgust over what happened.

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Ananta Kar

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Ananta Kar is an NFL Trends Writer at EssentiallySports who adds a cultural dimension to football coverage. From families and food to the festive spirit of Super Sundays, she highlights the traditions and communities that make the NFL more than just a game. A devoted Chiefs fan, she brings readers closer to the atmosphere of Arrowhead and beyond, blending passion with perspective. Her star coverage includes a well-researched piece on Shedeur Sanders’ draft prospects, praised for its depth and context, along with cultural features like the Tom Brady–Matthew Stafford legacy debate. With an eye for stories that connect sport to everyday life, Ananta delivers narratives that resonate with fans who value both the action on the field and the culture surrounding it.

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Monika Srivastava

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