Internet Streamer Prank Culture Crashes the NFL Draft

It turns out, athletes who love to also be live streamers may get pranked like live streamers.

You’d think hearing your phone ring on NFL Draft night would be a sign your dreams are about to come true. But in the age of Twitch streams and 24/7 prank content, nothing — not even lifelong dreams — is safe from a little chaos.

Take Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. Sitting with his family, full of hope, he got “The Call” — supposedly from the Green Bay Packers. Cheers erupted. Hugs were exchanged. Cameras rolled. Only problem? It was a prank. The Packers weren’t picking Cooper.

The real call — the real one — came later when the Philadelphia Eagles grabbed him with the 40th pick. Still great! But… not exactly how it was supposed to go. Welcome to professional football, where your first opponent might just be a practical joke.

But wait, Cooper wasn’t alone. Shedeur Sanders — Colorado’s star quarterback and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — got duped too.

As Shedeur waited anxiously, he picked up a call from what sounded like Saints GM Mickey Loomis. Spoiler: it wasn’t. It was Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, pulling a prank after sneaking Shedeur’s number from a family iPad. The fake GM told Sanders he was about to be drafted… then hung up with a cold “you’ll have to wait a little longer.” Yikes.

Jax eventually apologized, calling it a “childish and selfish act.” The NFL wasn’t laughing — they launched a full-blown investigation.

Shedeur, for his part, stayed composed, calling it a “childish act” but moving on. The Browns later snagged him in the fifth round at No. 144 overall.

Honestly, could this be more 2025? Between Twitch, Kick, TikTok and every app designed to make pranks viral in 0.3 seconds, it’s almost poetic that even the polished, big-money NFL Draft isn’t immune.

This generation grew up watching YouTubers fake car giveaways and TikTokers pretend to marry strangers at malls. A fake draft call? Honestly — it feels right on schedule.

Maybe next year, teams should just announce picks live on Fortnite or Roblox servers. At least then, when a player gets trolled, they can build a fort around their feelings.