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It wasn't a prank call, but Melvin Gordon had his own NFL Draft phone call fiasco

Gordon told the story of getting a call on draft day that he thought was from an NFL team, and he wasn't happy with who was actually on the line.
Lorin Cox|
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number 15th overall pick to the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number 15th overall pick to the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. | Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

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Prominent NFL Draft prospects, headlined by Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, received prank calls on draft weekend that played with their emotions.

Former Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon can relate.

He wasn't prank called, but he did receive a call on his draft day that he thought was from an NFL team, and he wasn't happy with who was on the other side of the line.

Gordon told the story as a guest on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

He attended the 2015 NFL Draft in person, when Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was drafted number one overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gordon was anxious for an NFL team to call him when his phone rang from an unknown number.

"As soon as the draft opens, I get a Florida number that calls my phone. I said 'Ain't no [expletive] way I'm going number one.'" Gordon said. "I'm talking to my agent, like nah, bro, I don't want to pick it up because if it ain't Tampa or Jacksonville, I'm going to be pissed. So he's like 'No just pick it up.'"

He answered the phone. The person calling him was the father of his Badgers teammate, wide receiver George Rushing.

"He was like, 'Hey Mel, I see you on the camera, man. You look good in your suit,'" Gordon said. "Get off my phone bro! He stole that call, like that adrenaline. He stole that from me. I was so pissed."

Rushing's dad, who's also named George, meant well with his call. He wasn't trying to mess with Gordon. He genuinely wanted to compliment him and wish him well.

The problem was the timing and the lack of an existing relationship with the star running back.

"What made me mad is, how did you even get my number?" Gordon said. "I never even talked to you a day in my life. How do you have my number, George?"

It's a lot easier now for Gordon to look back on it and laugh, but it took away some of the enjoyment of getting drafted by the San Diego Chargers after already going through that emotional rollercoaster.

He knew he wasn't going to be taken number one overall by the Buccaneers, but that Florida area code gave him just enough hope to be disappointed by Mr. Rushing.

It's not as bad as being truly prank called like this year's crop of draft picks, but Gordon can sympathize with their pain.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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