Patriots Draft Profile: Diego Pavia Is An Interesting QB Case Study – Sports Illustrated

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One of the more intriguing storylines for the New England Patriots heading into the NFL Draft is how they'll address the quarterback position. With Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito set in stone as the team's top two quarterbacks, both head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have confirmed they'll bring in a new face for 2026.
But who?
There might not be a more polarizing name in this year's draft class than Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Finishing second place in last year's Heisman Trophy voting, Pavia comes into the NFL with plenty of question marks about him as a player and a person.
With the Patriots already in the backup quarterback market, bringing in the electric Pavia could be a fun add. He certainly wouldn't see the field more than his preseason playing time, but here's how he could factor into New England's offensive plans as a rookie.
In his six seasons in college football, the 5-foot-10 Pavia plays much larger than his height would show. Whether it's with his arm or his legs, the well-traveled quaterback (New Mexico Military Institude, New Mexico State, Vanderbilt) is the main reason why his new team went from nothing to everything in college football.
Think about Tim Tebow when he was with Florida. Now Pavia is nothing close to what the eventually national champion and first round pick was, but he has the same flair and atmosphere surrouning his play on the field. He's able to improvise and work in and out of the pocket.
Pavia is also uber-confident, something that's hurt him in the past in the world of social media. He wouldn't be a distraction for the Patriots, but would instantly be a popular player to speak with in a quarterback room that already houses an MVP candidate (Maye) and a mega-viral star (DeVito).
He's a competitive player who may only be able to produce as a career backup in the NFL. He'll only cost a seventh, a sixth at most, in the draft, with others projecting he'll be a priority free agent. He'd be a low-cost, medium-to-high reward player if he can turn into a productive scout team signal caller.
The confidence can have pitfalls. There's been times where Pavia trusts himself so much that he'll pass up second and third reads to use his legs. His deep ball — which can touch the sky — sometimes flutters up in the air, a lot of that forced because of his stature.
Against quality teams in the SEC, his play dipped from when they played lesser competition. His size also hurts his case for becoming a starter at the next level.
Pavia is far from a "bad" player, but there's plenty of things that are going against him as he plans to begin his pro career. In a weak quarterback class, he didn't showcase himself to catapault himself up the draft board despite making an appearance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
If the Patriots want to bring in Pavia, it will likely be in the final moments of the draft. If not, he'll certainly find a place as an undrafted free agent that gives him a bigger shot to see the field. While Pavia's play style may not fit the typical offense that Josh McDaniels and the Patriots like to run, he could become a fun training camp/preseason player in New England.
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Ethan Hurwitz is a writer for Patriots on SI. He works to find out-of-the-box stories that change the way you look at sports. He’s covered the behind-the-scenes discussions behind Ivy League football, how a stuffed animal helped a softball team’s playoff chances and tracked down a fan who caught a historic hockey stick. Ethan graduated from Quinnipiac University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s sports coverage for almost three years.
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