Kenyon Sadiq thought he was prank called after Jets selection in draft

TL;DR

Kenyon Sadiq was selected by the New York Jets with the No. 16 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He initially thought the call from the Jets was a prank.

Key points

Kenyon Sadiq was drafted by the New York Jets.
He was selected with the No. 16 overall pick.
Sadiq is regarded as the best tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He initially thought the call from the Jets was a prank.

2026 NFL DraftKenyon SadiqNew York Jets

Kenyon Sadiq thought he was prank called after Jets selection in draft

This was no deke for Kenyon Sadiq.

The New York Jets spent the No. 16 overall pick on Sadiq, the consensus best tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft, as they look to dial it up on offense for the upcoming season.

As it goes, phone calls to draftees are among the highlights of draft weekend, and the Jets' call to the Oregon product was no different. Except, Sadiq felt the call he was getting maybe wasn't on the up-and-up.

The No. 16 pick admitted to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn that he thought he was being prank called, prompting laughs and smiles around the Jets' draft room.

Take a look:

"I was thinking this was a prank call for a second," an emotional Sadiq told head coach Aaron Glenn.

"No, we're not pranking you, brother," a smiling Glenn said, with the Jets' draft room echoing with laughter. "You're gonna be a Jet, you're gonna be a Jet. Trust me on that, man, you've been a target for us for a while."

MORE: 2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades: Analysis for every pick

Prank calls to draft prospects have been a small but prominent part of the NFL draft in recent years. Notably, in 2025, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was prank called by the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich amidst the passer's precipitous tumble down draft boards.

Phone drama reemerged in the 2026 draft, with wide receiver Makai Lemon getting in a game of phone tag with the and , ultimately landing with Philadelphia amidst some phone-line confusion.