2025 NFL Draft: Abdul Carter also received prank phone call before Giants took him with No. 3 overall pick

Yahoo

24-05-2025

Shedeur Sanders wasn't the only player to receive a prank call during the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, he wasn't even the best prospect involved in the unfortunate trend.
That "honor" belongs to former Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, who received a prank call before the New York Giants selected him No. 3 overall in the draft.
Carter's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said someone called Carter pretending to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, who traded up to the No. 2 spot to select Travis Hunter. Before that pick was official, the person on the other end of the line told Carter the Jaguars were going to select him with the second pick of the draft.
Carter and Rosenhaus quickly figured out it was a fake call, which saved them from telling Carter's entire family he was going to the Jaguars.
The pranks keep coming: it turns out that Abdul Carter also got a prank call during the second pick in which the caller said he was from the Jaguars and they were going to select him with the No. 2 overall pick. 'It's unfortunate that these private numbers are getting to the… pic.twitter.com/ypTsnrSpcq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2025
While the prank call might have been disappointing, Carter didn't wait long to hear his name called. The Giants took him off the board with the next pick of the draft.
Still, the call is yet another disappointing development from the 2025 NFL Draft. A number of players, including Carter, Sanders, Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren, Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kyle McCord all received prank calls during the event.
Sanders' call became the most prominent of those pranks after video emerged of the incident. In the video, a man called Sanders and pretended to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. The man impersonating Loomis said the team would pick Sanders. That didn't happen, and Sanders lasted until the fifth round of the draft, when the Browns made him the 144th selection.
The Sanders situation drew even more attention after Jax Ulbrich, son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, claimed responsibility and apologized to Sanders. Jax was spotted in the prank-call video, though was not the person on the phone. He obtained Sanders' number from his father's iPad. The Falcons and Jeff were fined for the incident. The NFL said Wednesday it was looking into the other prank calls and did not believe they were related to Sanders' call.
Prank calls during the draft are not a new phenomenon. Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean received a prank call during the 2024 NFL Draft before he went to the Eagles in the second round.
Given the amount of prank calls — and the prominent names involved — that emerged following the 2025 draft, the league may look to take action to prevent the situation from occurring again. While the NFL is unlikely to stop every future prank call, it's not a good look when so many elite prospects are sharing horror stories from what is supposed to be the best day of their lives.