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The NFL is tightening up its prospect contact list for this year’s draft after the prank directed at Shedeur Sanders as he slipped down the draft board last April.
As Sanders fell out of the first round, and even further after not being taken in the second or third round on the second day of the draft, he was called a prank by Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who took down Sanders’ phone number from his father’s open iPad during his visit home.
Now, the NFL limits access to prospect contact information to just one person within each franchise, according to The Athletic.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks on from the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field on December 7, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
“Relevant contact details will be provided by the league to a single point of contact within the club for football operations,” a league spokesperson told the outlet. “This individual will be responsible for safeguarding the numbers.”
The moment involving Sanders ended up going viral, as he was livestreaming a draft party with family and friends when he received the call from someone posing as New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis ahead of the No. 40 pick the team owned.
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The Saints were one of the teams that were in the market for quarterbacks before the draft, and they didn’t select any in the first round. Meanwhile, other teams in need of quarterbacks like the Tennessee Titans (Cam Ward, No. 1) and New York Giants (Jaxson Dart, No. 25) have already taken care of the situation from day one.
Instead of taking Sanders, the Saints settled for Louisville’s Tyler Shough in the second round. Sanders would have to wait until the fifth round to be taken by the Cleveland Browns, who also selected Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round the day before.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders reacts on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Jeff Ulbrich later apologized for his son’s actions, where he was also held responsible for leaking the phone number.
“My actions in failing to protect confidential data were inexcusable,” Ulbrich said during a press conference at the Falcons headquarters. “My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable and we are both deeply sorry.”
The NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich was fined $100,000.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (David Richard/AP)
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“I promise that my son and I will work hard to demonstrate that we are better than this,” Ulbrich added.
