How Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq nearly didn't believe his draft-night call

TL;DR

Kenyon Sadiq, drafted by the New York Jets, initially doubted the authenticity of his draft-night call, thinking it was a prank. This skepticism stemmed from a previous incident involving a prank call during the last draft.

Key points

Kenyon Sadiq was drafted by the New York Jets.
He initially doubted the authenticity of the call.
His skepticism was influenced by a previous prank call incident.

Mentioned in this story

Kenyon SadiqShedeur SandersJax Ulbrich

New York JetsCleveland BrownsAtlanta Falcons

How Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq nearly didn't believe his draft-night call originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When the New York Jets dialed Kenyon Sadiq on Thursday night, the Oregon tight end's first instinct wasn't joy but doubt.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who shared the moment on social media Friday morning. Sadiq thought the call was a prank. The reaction makes complete sense given what happened in the last draft.

Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns quarterback who fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a slide nobody saw coming, was infamously prank-called by Jax Ulbrich during that fall.

Ulbrich, whose father was the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator at the time, had written down Sanders' phone number from his father's open iPad.

Why Kenyon Sadiq assumed the worst before he assumed the best

2026 NFL DRAFT HQ:Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available

Sadiq was taken 16th overall, the Jets' second first-round selection of a remarkable night after Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey went second.

Q&A

Why did Kenyon Sadiq doubt his draft call from the Jets?

Kenyon Sadiq doubted his draft call because he thought it was a prank, influenced by a previous incident where a player was prank-called during the draft.

What incident led to Kenyon Sadiq's skepticism about his draft call?

Sadiq's skepticism was heightened by the prank call incident involving Shedeur Sanders during the last draft, which made him question the authenticity of the call.

Who is Kenyon Sadiq and which team drafted him?

Kenyon Sadiq is a tight end from Oregon who was drafted by the New York Jets.