The NFL Draft is supposed to feel like the climax of a John Grisham novel—careers decided in tense, cinematic moments. But sometimes, it veers into Curb Your Enthusiasm territory. Picture a quarterback nervously waiting for his name to be called, only to get a prank call that’s less “Hollywood ending” and more “middle school cafeteria.” Enter Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado phenom whose draft slide became a soap opera even Days of Our Lives couldn’t script.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Browns’ war room was buzzing like a tailgate grill on opening day. Their first-round pick, Michigan’s Mason Graham, had just become the latest rookie tangled in a draft-night prank saga. Think of it as a twisted rite of passage—like getting hazed by your big brother during Thanksgiving touch football. But this wasn’t just sibling rivalry. It was the NFL’s new reality: viral moments colliding with billion-dollar decisions.

On April 24, the Browns selected Graham fifth overall, a bold move. But the celebration hit a snag. Per MLFootball’s report, Graham received a prank call moments before the official draft notification—a cruel déjà vu of Shedeur Sanders’ ordeal. Only that it’s not a déjà vu since it reportedly happened first. The defensive tackle, known for his combine humor (remember his “Duval” jab at Jaguars coach Liam Coen?), suddenly found himself on the wrong side of the joke…

It’s all funny… until it isn’t. Graham’s combine antics had already made waves. His “Duval” shoutout—a nod to Jacksonville’s rallying cry—left Coen chuckling. “He just started laughing. Everyone started laughing,” Graham told Kay Adams. But draft night pranks?

That’s a different playbook. Five prospects reportedly faced similar hoaxes, turning what should’ve been career highs into awkward limbo. Besides, the NFL Draft is part chess match, part reality TV. Teams bet futures on 21-year-olds while fans dissect every pick like American Pickers at a flea market. But this year, pranks stole the spotlight.

For Graham, it’s a bump in the road. For Sanders, it’s fuel. Cleveland’s gamble on both players raises eyebrows. Graham, a two-time All-American, joins Myles Garrett’s defense—a move as logical as pairing Bud Light with a bratwurst. Sanders, meanwhile, lands in a QB room crowded like a Black Friday sale.

“People are morons,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said bluntly. “I mean, it’s sad that these young men have to deal with this.” But if Graham’s story is a subplot, Shedeur Sanders’s draft saga is the main event.

Shedeur Sanders’ slide and the Ulbrich twist

The son of NFL legend Deion Sanders tumbled to the fifth round—a freefall as shocking as the Falcons’ 28-3 Super Bowl lead. But the real twist? The prank call that mocked his wait. And there you have Jax Ulbrich, 21-year-old son of Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich.

Posing as Saints GM Mickey Loomis, Jax told Sanders, “It’s been a long wait, man. We’re gonna take you with our next pick right here, man… but you’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer.” The irony? Sanders’s dad, Deion, is a Falcons legend. “The Atlanta Falcons do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family,” the team stated. “It was selfish and childish,” Jax admitted on Instagram. Sanders shrugged it off.

“It didn’t really have an impact on me. Of course, I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody does childish things here and there,” Shedeur said. But the damage was done—another layer of chaos in a draft already dripping with drama. But Sanders’s resilience echoes his father’s flair.

Deion once said, “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.” Shedeur’s response to the prank? Pure Prime Time poise. Meanwhile, Graham’s humor and hustle could make him Cleveland’s next cult hero—a Joe Thomas with more TikTok appeal. And as the dust settles, one question lingers: In an era where clicks rival championships, can the NFL protect its future stars from becoming punchlines? Or as Springsteen once sang, “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse?”