Caleb Hightower
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Diego Pavia’s 2026 NFL Draft experience was less than ideal.
While getting selected in one of the first three rounds seemed like a stretch, the consensus was the Vanderbilt quarterback would, at the very least, hear his name called on the final day of the draft (Saturday- rounds 4-7).
Unfortunately for Pavia, he made history as just the second Heisman trophy finalist to go undrafted, compelling him to accept an invite to the Baltimore Ravens’ upcoming minicamp shortly after. Before attempting to earn an NFL roster spot, Pavia received a heartfelt message from Colorado football coach and Dallas Cowboys legend Deion Sanders on social media.
“I BELIEVE IN YOU, MY MAN,” Sanders wrote on X/Twitter Saturday. “Stay strong and don’t let up. Show them what time it is and never allow them to forget. Much Love & God bless you.”
Pavia enjoyed an outstanding senior season with the Commodores, finishing with 267 completions, 29 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a career-best 70.6% completion percentage.
More impressively, Pavia led Vanderbilt to its first-ever 10-win season and came close to becoming the first Commodores QB to win the Heisman Trophy.
However, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s concerning height (5-foot-10), lackluster combine performance, inability to handle losing gracefully (he made several immature social media posts after Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy), and overall arrogance made it easy for teams to pass on him in the draft.
That said, Pavia still has an opportunity to play his way into a standard NFL contract and prove he belongs in the big leagues despite his poor decision-making. It’ll be interesting to see if the first-team All-SEC member maximizes it.
More college football:
Composite college football top 25 rankings for 2026: Ohio State, Texas lead Way Too Early lists
Why the College Football Playoff field should expand to 16 and use the 5/11 model to select the teams
Kirby Smart sends clear message to NIL check-cashers about skipping Georgia
Caleb Hightower is a graduate of Hofstra University who can write about any sport, but he has a particular passion for basketball – specifically college and NBA. He has written for publications such as FanBuzz and Busting Brackets since graduating.
