Few names were as big as Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in college football last season, but it appears this may not boost his NFL draft stock. The latest NFL mock drafts project a potentially unfortunate outcome for Pavia with the Heisman Trophy finalist going undrafted.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Jordan Reid both released final 7-round mocks in the days leading up to the NFL draft. Pavia was absent from both mock drafts, indicating the quarterback would need to sign with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest NFL draft rumors and mocks projections for Pavia’s future.
There is some concern about Pavia’s 5-foot-10 height. The Ringer’s Todd McShay explained why he has doubts about how Pavia’s game will translate to the NFL.
“I don’t know if Diego Pavia can play quarterback in the NFL,” McShay explained in February 2026, per The Sporting News. “You watch him during the team sessions and 7-on-7s and there’s some fun things to watch, man. He just has unbelievable instincts. But when you watch him in 1-on-1s, having to drive the ball, make NFL throws, it’s not the same as the other guys.
“… It’s not like he did it in the WAC or FCS. He did it in the SEC. So it’s hard to say definitively that this guy can’t play in the NFL. I’m not saying that. I’m saying when you watch him out there, you start to wonder, are the limitations going to be too much in the NFL?”
Pavia is no stranger to being counted out during his career. Coming out of high school, Pavia was not widely recruited and had initial stops at New Mexico Military Institute and New Mexico State prior to catching the attention of Vandy.
Pavia helped transform Vanderbilt from consistently being at the bottom of the SEC standings into a team that narrowly missed making the College Football Playoff. The quarterback may need to once again prove himself if he goes undrafted as many mock drafts predict.
The Vandy star is expected to at least get an NFL look as an undrafted free agent, even if the quarterback goes undrafted. Pavia could also consider playing in leagues like the CFL or UFL, per Reid.
“He’s one of those dudes that they would take a bullet for,” Reid said of Pavia during an interview with TalkSPORT. “A lot of guys have said that. That’s the type of leadership that Pavia has walking through the door as well.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, if he’s not able to make it in the NFL, he’s going to be a superstar in the outside league. Whether it’s the CFL, the UFL, whatever it is, he’s somebody that’s going to be a superstar in that area,” Reid added.
“And that’s just talking about worst-case scenario if he doesn’t pan out in the NFL.”
It would not be a surprise if an NFL team used a late-round selection on Pavia as a developmental quarterback given some of his positive traits. For now, Pavia’s NFL future is anything but certain after a standout college football career.
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Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams
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