Former Vanderbilt football quarterback and 2025 Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, which began April 23 and concluded April 25.
There were 257 players taken in the draft, which was held in Pittsburgh, including 10 quarterbacks. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza of national champion Indiana was taken first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Pavia is the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch wasn’t picked in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Pavia helped Vanderbilt to a record-setting season in 2025, when the Commodores won 10 games for the first time in program history.
The outspoken 24-year-old also made headlines off the field, such as when he criticized Heisman voters on Instagram. He also was named The Tennessean’s 2025 Sportsperson of the Year.
Pavia’s teammate at Vanderbilt and New Mexico State, tight end Eli Stowers, was chosen in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Some teams, such as the Carolina Panthers, are interested in signing an undrafted free agent quarterback. He also could consider pursuing a professional career in the CFL.
Pavia was projected as a seventh-round pick or to be an undrafted free agent.
Pavia was ranked the No. 12 quarterback on the ESPN analyst’s board behind Mendoza, Simpson, Beck, Nussemeier, Allar, Payton, Green, Klubnik, Luke Altmyer, Sawyer Robertson and Haynes King. He is ranked two spots ahead of former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.
In 2025, Pavia was 267-for-378 passing for 3,539 yards and an SEC-best 29 touchdowns while also leading the conference in quarterback rating (170.4) passing % (70.6), yards gained per pass attempt (9.4) and adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (9.94). He also ran for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In two seasons at Vanderbilt, Pavia was 444-for-676 for 5,832 yards and 49 touchdowns and 12 interceptions passing in 26 career games. He ran for 1,663 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
