Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia
Diego Pavia finally heard from the NFL on Sunday.
The former Vanderbilt quarterback, who had been passed over during the NFL Draft’s three days, seven rounds and 257 selections, accepted an invitation to next weekend’s rookie minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens, according to multiple reports.
It’s not a bad landing spot for Pavia, who finished second to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza in the Heisman Trophy voting last December. Pavia is is the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch in 2014.
The Ravens have just two quarterbacks on the roster — starter Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley. Former Connecticut quarterback Joe Fagnano will also attend rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
In addition, Baltimore’s offense has long relied heavily on run-pass option plays for Jackson, who — like Pavia at Vanderbilt — is a frequent runner.
Jackson ran the ball at least 100 times for at least 695 yards for seven straight seasons prior to 2025, when the Ravens quarterback — who missed four games due to injury — carried 67 times for 349 yards, an average of 5.2 yards per attempt.
Pavia used his legs quite effectively at Vanderbilt, as he ran 359 times for 1,663 yards (4.6 yards per attempt) and 18 touchdowns in two years.
If Pavia makes a good impression at the minicamp, the Ravens may give him a chance to stick around for the remainder of the offseason as well as training camp. How well Pavia would take advantage of those potential opportunities would determine whether he would ultimately earn a roster spot — or a spot on the practice squad.
But that’s a long way off for the 5-10, 207-pound Pavia, who will need to show that a quarterback of his stature — and limited arm strength — can find success on the NFL level.
The New Mexico native will also need to prove his maturity, after his behavior following the second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. A disappointed Pavia posted a social media message of “F*** all the voters … ” following the vote, and took things a step further later in the evening, when Pavia — at a club — was shown in an Instagram video pointing his middle fingers at a sign that read “F*** Indiana.”
Pavia wound up writing a long social media post apologizing for the disparaging remarks and actions he made on social media.
And bad judgement with that incident notwithstanding, there’s no denying Pavia’s success during his two years at Vanderbilt.
In addition to his rushing prowess, Pavia completed 444-of-676 passes (65.7 percent) for 5,832 yards (7.2 yards per completion) and 49 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions in 26 games.
He led the Commodores to a record of 17-9, helping Vandy earn more wins in two seasons than the ‘Dores had produced in the previous five years combined. Vanderbilt went to back-to-back bowl games, beating Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl before losing to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
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