NFL news: Diego Pavia - From Heisman finalist to NFL Draft snub

Diego Pavia was one of the quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL draft with a lot of buzz around his name; however, the draft has been and gone, and Pavia has not been selected by any of the 32 teams, despite being a finalist for the iconic Heisman trophy.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer and NFL fan Luca Salmasi takes a closer look at Diego Pavia’s NFL Draft snub and where the quarterback can go from here.

Standout college career

Pavia is one of the most unbelievable stories in the history of college football, turning down a wrestling scholarship to chase a dream of playing football, starting his career in JUCO at the New Mexico Military Institute, and leading the program to a national title.

A year later, he would join New Mexico State and lead the team to a historic 10-win season that included an upset victory over Auburn.

Before Pavia’s move to Vanderbilt, the program had not had a winning season since James Franklin left in 2013.

Pavia led them to back-to-back winning seasons, including the first 10-win season in programme history.

As a senior, Pavia put up incredible numbers across the board: 3,539 passing yards, 862 rushing yards, and 39 total touchdowns in the SEC that earned him a Heisman invite.

Not built for the NFL

Despite being an incredible quarterback, his height of five feet and 10 inches made him one of the shortest players to appear at the NFL Combine, being the shortest by more than two inches.

Pavia’s Senior Bowl listing was even shorter, measuring him close to five feet nine inches, which would have made him even shorter than Bryce Young and Kyler Murray.

For comparison, former Oregon star Dillon Gabriel was considered exceptionally short for a quarterback and is only listed a full inch taller than Pavia, and has an arm length a full inch longer.

Putting aside his frame and height being an issue, Oavia’s game was ultimately never really built for the NFL. He never really worked in structure, but buying time with his legs and his 4.76 40-yard dash time didn’t do much else to grab scouts’ attention.

Pavia is strong, but like many short quarterbacks, his limited frame prevents him from generating the power of lengthier passers.

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Self-inflicted wounds

After losing the Heisman Trophy to Indiana quarterback and now Las Vegas Raider Fernando Mendoza, Pavia made multiple public statements full of expletives, including one targeting voters for disrespecting him.

He was also pictured at a nightclub getting bottle service with an expletive sign aimed at both Indiana and Mendoza.

Whilst Pavia’s behaviour had flown under the radar, his behaviour has been immature for years, as, whilst at New Mexico State, he famously trespassed rivals New Mexico’s practice field to urinate over it.

The incidents are childish, and if he had boasted more pro-ready measureables, they most certainly would have hurt his draft stock.

However, what these are doing is impacting the potential opportunities and minicamp invites; now that Pavia finds himself undrafted.

Pavia has ultimately made some stupid mistakes that deservedly have come with the consequences attached and have hurt his reputation across the NFL.

Whilst these incidents have impacted Pavia, he is still known as one of the hardest workers everywhere he has played and has the stats to back it up, so it may be a short matter of time before he finds his feet at a team, but it might not be in the NFL.

Where next for Pavia

Shortly after the NFL Draft, Pavia accepted an invitation to the Baltimore Ravens' rookie minicamp on a tryout basis and is a starter as he still looks to make it into the NFL.

However, if successful, it wouldn't be easy for him to start, given that superstar Lamar Jackson is cemented as the franchise’s number one quarterback, but all Pavia really needs to do is stand out to be invited to training camp this summer.

As a career now isn’t certain for Pavia, he could see himself in the UFL, although with a tight timeline until the regular season starts, a potential move across the border to the CFL might be a more likely option with rookie camps starting at the beginning of May.

If the 24-year-old wants a full season to prove himself and develop into the NFL athlete that teams are looking for, this may be his best bet to break into professional football.

Size and attitude concerns aside, there is no questioning the talent that Pavia has.

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