Thursday night was undoubtedly one of the highlights of Josh Conerly Jr.'s life. The offensive tackle from Oregon achieved his NFL dream when the Washington Commanders selected him with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
It turns out, there was a brief moment shortly before when Conerly was led to believe he would be selected by the Denver Broncos.
It's the famous Oprah Winfrey meme come to life. You get a prank call. You get a prank call. Everybody gets a prank call.
Among some of the other prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft who received false messages were Indianapolis Colts first-rounder Tyler Warren, Philadelphia Eagles sixth-rounder Kyle McCord, and of course, Cleveland Browns fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders, who some would have you believe is the only person to ever be a prank call victim in the history of human civilization.
Josh Conerly Jr. will be just fine with Commanders despite 2025 NFL Draft prank
When it happened to Sanders, mass hysteria ensued. People demanded to trace the call's source. It turns out his number, thought to be exclusively private to NFL insiders, was given to the callers by Jax Ulbrich, son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Ulbrich was then predictably dragged by the internet mob. Some even laughably suggested his father should be held guilty by association and lose his job.
Somehow, someway, it seems highly unlikely that the new Commanders' admission will spark this same manufactured pearl-clutching coverage. In all likelihood, the identity of the caller will never be revealed. There certainly won't be threats against his or his family's livelihood.
That is for the better, though. No one needs to be thrown a national pity party for something as mild as a prank call. Conerly isn't a protected figure in the NFL media establishment, so he won't be.
Someone made an immature, childish decision, just as Ulbrich and many others have done over the years. It is also a decision that is ultimately harmless, although extremely ill-advised in the circumstances.
Most importantly, Conerly doesn't sound too bothered by the prank. The 2024 first-team All-American has already endeared himself to the Commanders franchise by changing his social media profile header photo to one of the famous 'Hogs' offensive line that dominated the trenches during the 1980s. He's happy to be in D.C., no matter what happened before his destination was confirmed.
The Commanders may not ever have another line like the Hogs. But with the offseason additions of their first-round pick and five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, they have a solid foundation at both tackle positions.
At the very least, if the revamped unit can translate to success on the field that builds off of Washington's surprising 2024 season, Conerly will be glad he didn't end up getting picked by the Broncos.