Diego Pavia Goes Undrafted in 2026 NFL Draft – Sports Illustrated

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It was not the NFL Draft result that former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wanted as he went undrafted during the seven-round, three-day event.
The result may come to some as a surprise and maybe not as much of a surprise to others. After finishing as the 2025 runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, many thought that Pavia was one of the most dynamic players in college football during the 2025 season. However, his draft projections varied from being a late round pick to being undrafted.
Pavia became the first Heisman Trophy finalist since former Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein in 2013 to go undrafted and the first Heisman runner-up since Brad Banks in 2003 to go undrafted.
Throughout the draft process, the biggest critique and criticism of Pavia’s ability to play at the NFL level was his size. Pavia checked in a 5-foot-9 ⅞ inches and 198 pounds at the Senior Bowl, making him one of the smaller quarterbacks by height and weight in the 21st century.
Due to his size, people have long questioned if he could make a career as a NFL quarterback. But if there is anything about Pavia that teams and fans know about him, it is that he has a great amount of belief in himself and his skillset. 
Pavia has embraced being an underdog throughout his football career. Pavia began his collegiate football career at the JUCO level in New Mexico before he transferred to New Mexico State. At New Mexico State, he led the Aggies to a stunning win at Auburn in 2023. Then, he transferred to play quarterback at Vanderbilt for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Pavia led Vanderbilt to a 7-6 season and a victory in the Birmingham Bowl in 2024 before taking the Commodores to heights the program had never seen before this past season. Vanderbilt achieved its first 10-win season in program history with Pavia at the helm of the offense. As a Heisman finalist, Pavia threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025.
Now, Pavia will see if he can prove himself looking for undrafted free agent opportunities in the NFL. It may be worthy to note that Pavia reportedly did have a visit with the Carolina Panthers in the closing stretch of the draft process. Regardless, Pavia will look to have another chance to channel his inner underdog and prove his doubters wrong.
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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