Broncos Mired in Widespread Draft Controversy Amid ‘Heavy’ Penalty

The Denver Broncos used the No. 20 overall pick in the 2025 draft on Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron. Before that, though, Ohio State’s Josh Conerly thought he would be heading to Denver to play for the Broncos.

The No. 29 overall pick by the Washington Commanders, Conerly received a phone call from an undisclosed party claiming association with the Broncos.

It was a prank.

“I got one prank call. It was somebody in Colorado acting like they were the Broncos. But besides that, I didn’t really get all the multiple ones like everybody else. I can only feel for them, because mine wasn’t as bad and as cruel as some of the other ones. But, yeah, with guys that are waiting multiple days, and getting four or five calls, it’s just insane,” Conerly said on “The Grant & Danny Show” on April 29.

“They’re just like, ‘This is this Josh?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And then they’re just like, ‘This is so and so from the Broncos.’ And then they just like – and then I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ Like, ‘What?’ And then they just hung up, and I was just like, ‘Okay.’”

Conerly also clarified the idea that the league sends out phones (via Boost Mobile) to prospects specifically for the draft.

“Nah, it’s your regular phone,” Conerly said. “That’s why the prank calls happen is because you’re using your regular phone number, you know what I mean? So if anybody just gets your regular phone number, they can call you.”

At least 10 players received or are linked to prank calls.

Among them, previously speculative Broncos target Tyler Warren got one. The Indianapolis Colts took him 14th overall. No. 2 overall pick Abdul Carter also got one.

Another player received word of a trade after a team drafted them. This is not a new or isolated incident. The league has levied penalties in what could be the first of many dominoes. That includes the Broncos.

Broncos Could Face Falcons Fallout Over Draft Prank

Broncos head coach Sean Payton defended former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders after the 2025 draft, noting his slide would fuel the now-Cleveland Browns QB.

Now, the Broncos find themselves tied to a similar situation as Sanders wound up in.

“Prank call fallout: The NFL fined the #Falcons $250,000 and DC Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 over the leak of Shedeur Sanders’ phone number,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on April 30. “Ulbrich’s son, Jax, took the number from Ulbrich’s iPad and used it to prank Sanders during the draft. Jax has apologized.

“Specifically, the #Falcons and Jeff Ulbrich were fined for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft,” the league confirmed.”

The Falcons released a statement apologizing to the Sanders and saying the younger Ulbrich would go through some form of community service.

Notably, the prankster pretended to be from Payton’s former team, the New Orleans Saints.

Per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the Falcons will not lose any draft capital over the incident.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted the penalties the  NFL levied against the Falcons were “heavy,” and that the $250,000 fine is the same as the league penalized the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 for COVID violations.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL is still investigating other prank calls but adds that “they are unrelated to the Falcons and Shedeur Sanders.”

Fines seem likely if the NFL finds that a member of the Broncos was involved with Conerly.

NFL Memo Distribution Scrutinized After Prank Call Outbreak

Pro Football Talk shared parts of two communications from the league to teams, one for the draft prospects in general and another for Sanders specifically.

“The first, a formal memo dated April 23, 2025 to all “General Managers, Head Coaches, Player Personnel Directors, Club IT Directors” from the NFL Player Personnel department listed the contact numbers for the 16 players who attended the draft (cell phone number and green room number) and the 24 players who were participating virtually (including Sanders),” PFT’s Mike Florio wrote on April 27.

“Later, an email was sent on April 23 to “All Waivers [NFL League],” and it contained only the “new cell phone number beginning today” for Shedeur Sanders. As one source explained it, the “All Waivers [NFL League]” is widely distributed to all coaches and personnel executives. Ulbrich would have been on the recipient list.”

Florio later argued that the league should review its distribution methods and/or list.