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ESPN hot take personality Stephen A. Smith offered an intense piece of advice for Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: you should beat your son. Why? Because he prank called Shedeur Sanders.
Over the weekend, during his highly-publicized fall to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders received a phone call during the second round on Friday night from someone posing as New Orleans Saints owner Mickey Loomis.
In the call, the pranksters tell Shedeur the New Orleans Saints were going to draft him with their next pick, and Sanders bought it (the Saints ultimately selected Lousville QB Tyler Shough in the second round with the 40th overall pick).
“This is Mickey Loomis here, (general manager) of the Saints. It’s been a long wait, man. We’re gonna take you with our next pick right here, man,” the caller said.
“Yes sir, let’s be legendary,” Sanders responded.
“But you’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that,” the caller said before hanging up.
It didn’t take long for news to break that the prank call was executed by Jeff Ulbrich’s son Jax Ulbrich, a 21-year-old D3 football player at Berry College.
The Falcons said in a statement that Jax got Shedeur Sanders’ phone number “off an open iPad while visiting his parents.”
On Monday, the traditionally over-zealous Smith didn’t take the “It was just a harmless prank approach,” as he suggested Ulbrich respond by punitively beating his son.
“I sincerely hope he whipped his kid’s ass. That’s an ass whipping. That is a required ass whipping.” – Stephen A. Smith on how Jeff Ulbrich should reprimand his 21-year-old son for prank calling Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/wub7wROFro
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 28, 2025
On Saturday, Sanders was finally selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick in the draft. Video of the Browns “draft war room” and the apparent lack of the excitement has led some fans to believe that owner Jimmy Haslam stepped in and made the call to select Shedeur.
I’m sorry this is insane lmao. how are we supposed to take anything else away from this other than “the owner stepped in”pic.twitter.com/v8YK4lQgum
— Jordan Zirm (@JordanZirm) April 26, 2025