{"id":875518,"date":"2026-04-26T22:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T22:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/875518\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T22:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T22:12:21","slug":"diego-pavia-first-heisman-finalist-to-go-undrafted-since-2014-to-reportedly-join-ravens-minicamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/875518\/","title":{"rendered":"Diego Pavia, first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014, to reportedly join Ravens’ minicamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diego Pavia<\/a>, one of the most polarizing college football players in recent memory, was not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The former JUCO, New Mexico State and Vanderbilt quarterback became the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch<\/a> was not picked in the 2014 draft.<\/p>\n

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Following the draft\u2019s conclusion on Saturday, Pavia did not sign with an NFL team as a free agent. He reportedly visited the Carolina Panthers<\/a> before the draft, but no other visits were publicized.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter<\/a> reported that Pavia has accepted an invite to join the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> at their minicamp next week, finally giving the undrafted free agent an NFL landing spot.<\/p>\n

The last Heisman winner to go undrafted was Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. The 2003 Heisman winner played another season of college football before he was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

A viral interview clip with Jon Gruden<\/a> earlier this spring made it seem that Pavia had not hired an agent ahead of the predraft process.<\/p>\n

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“I didn’t think it was fair that someone was going to represent me and take 5 to 10 percent,” Pavia told Gruden<\/a>. “Ain’t nobody taking my money.”<\/p>\n

However, that discussion was about Pavia\u2019s NIL money at Vanderbilt. Malki Kawa has said he\u2019s representing Pavia<\/a>, and NFL agent commissions are capped at 3%.<\/p>\n

Teams showing interest in Pavia have not yet been reported. The Panthers could presumably be on that list. Others who could take a chance on Pavia as a third QB could include the Tennessee Titans<\/a>, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots<\/a> and Detroit Lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders was among those voicing support for Pavia following the NFL Draft\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI BELIEVE IN YOU MY MAN!\u201d Sanders wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cStay strong and don\u2019t let up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Pavia\u2019s reputation and outspokenness may have hurt his draft stock<\/p>\n

Pavia, 24, became the runner-up for the Heisman Troph<\/a>y<\/a> last year at Vanderbilt, finishing behind then-Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and in front of then-Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who were the No. 1 and No. 3 overall picks in this year\u2019s draft, respectively. But his reaction to falling short of the sport\u2019s most prestigious award harmed his already controversial reputation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pavia, a brazen playmaker with an adoration for Johnny Manziel<\/a> and a chip on his shoulder that dwarfs his 5-foot-10 frame, reposted an Instagram post from comedian Theo Von to his Instagram story with the caption, \u201cF- all the voters but … family for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He later apologized<\/a> and noted that Mendoza was \u201ca deserving winner of the award.\u201d Also in the apology statement Pavia posted to social media, he mentioned how he\u2019s been doubted his whole life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery step of my journey I\u2019ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because Ive learned that nothing would be handed to me,\u201d he wrote at the time.<\/p>\n

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Pavia even had to fight for an extra year of eligibility to continue the program turnaround he initiated at Vanderbilt<\/a>. Ultimately, a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction that allowed Pavia to play a sixth season of college football after he sued the NCAA<\/a>. Pavia claimed the organization violated antitrust law by counting his time in JUCO toward his NCAA eligibility clock, thereby affecting his ability to earn money from his name, image and likeness.<\/p>\n

That ruling had a ripple effect on the college sports landscape<\/a>, particularly NCAA eligibility rules.<\/p>\n

Pavia was an unheralded high school recruit. He didn\u2019t have an FBS offer coming out of Volcano Vista in New Mexico. He stayed in-state and spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons at a junior college, New Mexico Military Institute.<\/p>\n

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While there, he won a NJCAA Division I national championship and caught the eye of the New Mexico State staff, including then-Aggies offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who wound up serving as Pavia\u2019s OC at Vanderbilt.<\/p>\n

In his second season at New Mexico State, Pavia led the Aggies to a 10-5 record \u2014 the program hadn\u2019t enjoyed a 10-win season since it went 11-0 in 1960 \u2014 and picked up Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors.<\/p>\n

Beck and Pavia made the move to Vanderbilt together, and so did Eli Stowers<\/a>, who blossomed into a dominant tight end that the Philadelphia Eagles added to their receiving corps in the second round of this year\u2019s draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In his first season with the Commodores, Pavia transformed into a household name. He turned heads on Oct. 5, 2024, when he totaled more than 300 yards of offense and fueled a 40-35 win over then-No. 1 Alabama<\/a>, helping Vanderbilt beat the Crimson Tide for the first time in 40 years and notch its first-ever win versus a top-five opponent.<\/p>\n

That year, the Commodores went 7-6, registering their first winning season since 2013. For reference, Vanderbilt had won a combined 12 games over the previous five campaigns, from 2019-23.<\/p>\n

Pavia was a standout for Vanderbilt in 2025<\/p>\n

Pavia upped the ante in 2025. Despite a spotlight that could have engulfed him, he thrived in the presence of extra attention. This past season, Pavia won SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He ranked first among all qualifying SEC quarterbacks with a career-high 29 touchdown passes and a 70.6% completion percentage. He threw only eight picks, and he ran his touchdown total up to 39 with 10 scores on the ground.<\/p>\n

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A bruising runner that makes up for his shorter stature with a stout build and reckless abandon, Pavia piled up at least 800 rushing yards in each of his final three college seasons.<\/p>\n

Because of the way Vanderbilt\u2019s schedule shook out, its slate wasn\u2019t strong enough to reward the Commodores\u2019 first-ever 10-win season with a College Football Playoff appearance<\/a>. Still, Pavia\u2019s impact on a program that had been the laughing stock of the SEC is undeniable.<\/p>\n

Pavia lacks the prototypical size of an NFL quarterback. His height is comparable to that of Kyler Murray<\/a> and Bryce Young<\/a>, except he is nowhere near the quick-twitch athlete and polished passer those two were coming out of Oklahoma and Alabama.<\/p>\n

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Pavia\u2019s college tape was popcorn-worthy: breathtaking at times, eyebrow-raising at others but always entertaining. He\u2019s a gamer who\u2019s unabashedly himself. If he\u2019s to make the 53-man roster, he\u2019ll likely have to accept a role away from the limelight while competing for an elevated standing in the quarterback room more quietly than he\u2019s used to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Diego Pavia, one of the most polarizing college football players in recent memory, was not selected in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[104018,117,1476,260,11,113,7491,25172,7,10341,13456,98774,4827,249,28300,6,15,3482,109,394,2286],"class_list":{"0":"post-875518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-2005-nfl-draft","9":"tag-baltimore-ravens","10":"tag-bryce-young","11":"tag-carolina-panthers","12":"tag-deion-sanders","13":"tag-detroit-lions","14":"tag-diego-pavia","15":"tag-eli-stowers","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-heisman-trophy","18":"tag-johnny-manziel","19":"tag-jordan-lynch","20":"tag-kyler-murray","21":"tag-new-england-patriots","22":"tag-new-mexico-state","23":"tag-nfl","24":"tag-nfl-draft","25":"tag-nfl-team","26":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","27":"tag-tennessee-titans","28":"tag-vanderbilt"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116473308310460180","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}