They attempted to trick Sonny Styles, but the former Buckeyes linebacker was too clever to succumb to it.
It appears that this occurs on an annual basis nowadays. Some jerk gets the number of a top draft candidate, or, in this situation, the draft candidate’s father, and attempts to make a prank call since, apparently, nothing is funnier than pulling a fast one on someone during one of the most crucial and stressful moments in their life.
As you can see and hear, Styles claims that someone attempted to prank call him using his father’s phone number, and he obtained a new number just days before the draft. It’s almost like he was expecting this to happen. Fortunately, he seems to have caught on quickly and was prepared for the real call from the Washington Commanders, who picked Styles with the seventh overall choice.
Sonny Styles handled a prank-call attempt before being drafted.
Styles is not the first celebrity to be pranked by phone callers, and he will not be the last. Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper Dejean dealt with it in 2024, when someone claiming to be affiliated with the Green Bay Packers called into his draft party. Perhaps the most infamous prank call was when Jax Ulbrich, the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, called Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. That one was so amusing that the Falcons were fined $350,000, and it brought a great deal of humiliation to the senior Ulbrich.
It’s a good thing that Styles seemed to recognize the stunt from the start, since otherwise it might have produced undue pressure for him. The NFL Draft ought to be a joyous occasion for all chosen players, but there are always a handful of losers who want to ruin someone else’s happiness for a quick laugh.
With the draft already completed and training camp commencing in a few days, the linebacker can now concentrate on his professional career without having to worry about where he would be picked or by which team. Everything appears chaotic enough without someone attempting to make fun of it.
