Commanders' Sonny Styles received prank call on draft night

During the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a massive scandal around (now) Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders was projected to go relatively high in the draft, but ended up falling into Day 3 territory. While he was waiting, a random person got a hold of Sanders' phone number and prank-called him. The caller pretended to be an NFL general manager and even had Sanders convinced he was being drafted before realizing it was a prank.

This year, Washington Commanders' linebacker Sonny Styles said that his dad received a prank call during the draft, too, and New York Jets' draftee Kenyon Sadiq initially thought his selection call was a prank because of the Sanders' issue the year prior. Many prospective players were nervous about getting a prank call after what happened in 2025.

Styles wasn't just worried about it, though; he was actually a victim.

"I had someone prank call my dad's phone," Styles says. "They called my dad's phone looking for me, and then I picked it up. He gave it to me. Like, "This is Sonny Styles," and they were like, "We're about to trade up for you." And I hung up. Trolling already, bro."

Someone asked if he got a new number, "Bro, I got a new number, bro, I was nervous."

It's incredibly sad that people feel the need to prank call players as they wait for their names to be called in the draft. It's wrong on so many levels. These guys have worked their entire lives for this moment, and some scumbag wants to ruin it? Why? What purpose does this serve?

Luckily, Styles recognized it was a prank call, especially because the call went to his dad's phone and not his. Fans need to remember that we are all human. These players are human. They have emotions and dreams; they are more than athletes. And how would you feel if you were waiting for a job offer for your own dream job, and had someone assure you that you had the job, only to find out it was a prank or a scam?

Do better, people.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles received prank call on draft night