The NFL wants to avoid prank calls at this year’s draft. To this end, the league is taking special measures.

The NFL is taking special measures to avoid prank calls at this year’s draft.

After the league sent out the phone numbers of draft candidates in emails to thousands of contacts last year, everything will be different this year.

“The relevant contact details will be sent by the National Football League to a single point of contact in the club’s football operations department,” an NFL spokesperson told “Pro Football Talk” by email. “That person is responsible for keeping the data secure.”

In the 2025 draft, Shedeur Sanders was the victim of a nasty prank call that led him to believe he would be selected in the 2nd round with the 40th pick by the New Orleans Saints. However, it turned out that it wasn’t the Saints’ general manager on the phone, but Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. He found Sanders’ number by chance on an iPad while visiting his parents.

NFL: Sanders not the only victim of prank calls

The Falcons were subsequently fined 250,000 dollars by the league and Ulbrich was fined 100,000 dollars. He then publicly apologized to Sanders and spoke of an “embarrassing and shameful” action. Sanders eventually ended up with the 144th pick by the Cleveland Browns.

Sanders was not the only player to fall victim to a prank call: Eventual No. 3 pick Abdul Carter also got a call that the Jacksonville Jaguars had traded up and would select him with the 2nd pick. Running back Ashton Jeanty got a call after the draft that the Las Vegas Raiders had traded him to the Dallas Cowboys.