Wisconsin football legend explains his own NFL draft misleading phone call story
No story has dominated the post-NFL draft headlines quite like the first-round prank call from the son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was eventually selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round.
The saga, which resulted in the NFL disciplining both Ulbrich and the Falcons, has prompted many current and former NFL players to discuss their draft call stories -- misleading calls, prank calls, or otherwise. One such story came from Wisconsin legend Melvin Gordon.
Gordon was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 15 pick of the first round of the 2015 draft. However, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the clock to start the draft, he received a mysterious call from a Florida area code.
"So I'm sitting at the [NFL draft] table," Gordon began. "As soon as the draft opened, I get a Florida number that called my phone. I said, 'Ain't no way I'm going No. 1...' I'm sitting there talking to my agent, saying, 'I don't want to pick it up. Because if it isn't Tampa Bay, I'm going to be pissed, or Jacksonville.' [My agent] said, 'No, just pick it up.' So I [do so], it's [Wisconsin wide receiver] George Rushing's dad. He says, 'Hey Mel, I see you on the camera, man. You look good in your suit.'"
"You know the call, that adrenaline. He stole that from me," Gordon continued. "And what made me the maddest, is how he'd even get my number?"
Here is the full story, from his appearance with former Badgers James White, Montee Ball and Jonathan Taylor on the Green Light Podcast.
The Buccaneers selected Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston No. 1 overall that year. The Jacksonville Jaguars, the other Florida team with a high pick, then took Florida defensive end Dante Fowler at No. 3. Gordon eventually went No. 15 to the then-San Diego Chargers -- still the highest a former Badger has been selected since J.J. Watt went No. 11 overall in 2011.
The former Wisconsin star went on to have a terrific NFL career with the Chargers (2015-19), Denver Broncos (2020-22) and Baltimore Ravens (2023), totaling 9,056 scrimmage yards and 70 touchdowns on 1,905 touches. The veteran running back has not officially retired entering the 2025 season, although he's appeared in only four games over the last two years, all with the Ravens in 2023. He spent the 2024 season as a free agent.
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