Kenyon Sadiq thought New York Jets pick was ‘prank call’ at NFL draft

It's not every day that you receive a phone call from the New York Jets.

Former Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq was expecting a phone call from some NFL franchise during the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. But he didn't necessarily expect it to be the Jets on the other side of that call, and with what happened to Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders a year before, with a prank call that went viral, there was a reason to be suspicious.

Last year, Sanders assumed he would be drafted in the first or second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, the former Colorado signal caller wasn't selected until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. But that wasn't the Sanders' biggest disappointment during that draft.

He received a call from someone saying they were Mickey Loomis, the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, telling Sanders he was selected early in the draft. Unfortunately, it was a prank call from the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. It was the worst game of telephone.

So when Sadiq saw the Jets, a team no one expected to draft him, on the phone call, it was completely understandable that he assumed it was another prank call from another party.

"I was thinking this was a prank call for a second," Sadiq said when on the phone with Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

"We're not pranking you, brother. You're gonna be a Jet," Glenn laughed in response.

But this was no prank. The Jets really did select Sadiq, and once they figured out it was New York on the line, he was perfectly happy to be the No. 16 pick overall. Now it will be fascinating to see how he establishes himself in that offense with throwing him the ball this year, and who will be his QB next year, with the Jets projected to have a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.