Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on Shedeur Sanders prank call: 'People are morons'

As Shedeur Sanders fell from the first to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, fans were stunned when a group of college students pulled off a prank call on the Colorado quarterback. After the culprit was later determined to be Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did not hold back in his criticism of the joke.

Stefanski was displeased by how his new player was treated during a trivial moment in his life. The fifth-year head coach blatantly shamed the move, calling it a “sad” decision.

“People are morons,” Stefanski said, via NFL reporter Ari Meirov. “It's sad.”

Videos of Jax Ulbrich and his friends calling Sanders immediately went viral. The callers pretended to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, and told Sanders he would take him with their next pick before immediately backtracking and telling the down-on-his-luck quarterback that he would have to “wait a little bit longer.”

While it has become popular among fans to despise Sanders, many still found the prank call distasteful. The NFL immediately launched an official investigation, and the culprit was quickly determined.

NFL Draft prank calls are nothing new, but Ulbrich and his friends called Sanders' private line, which was only distributed to league executives. The 21-year-old reportedly found the number at his father's house, unbeknownst to the Falcons assistant. The fallout forced Atlanta to release an official statement on the incident.

Browns' crowded quarterback room with Shedeur Sanders

Through all the chaos, Sanders was finally taken off the board by the Browns in the fifth round. He was the team's second quarterback in the draft after it took Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in round three.

It was not how he imagined, but the Browns were always one of the teams in contention for Sanders. They began the 2025 NFL Draft with the No. 2 overall pick and were considered one of his top landing spots given their quarterback needs. Cleveland did not use its first-round pick on the controversial 23-year-old but left Green Bay with him a part of its organization nonetheless.

Gabriel and Sanders became the fourth and fifth quarterbacks on the team, respectively. Though injured and expected to miss the entire 2025 season, DeShaun Watson remains on the roster, followed by veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. With Watson expected to be placed on injured reserve, all four remaining passers will compete for the starting job — and a roster spot — in training camp.