Diego Pavia has a chance to make history after going undrafted originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Although Diego Pavia might have his head held low coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft undrafted, this makes for a true underdog story that could see him join some elite company should he find himself on a team.
Pavia had a season to remember with Vanderbilt, having finished second in Heisman voting with 189 first-place votes. He had career-high numbers across the board in his senior season, posting 3,539 yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 862 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns.
However, some NFL GMs and scouts questioned his size, arm talent, and his personality off the field, which all could’ve been the case for him not hearing his name called. Also, when appearing on Jon Gruden’s “QB Class,” he stated that he was representing himself in the draft instead of hiring an agent.
Although it’ll be a tough road, it is not impossible for Pavia to find success as an undrafted QB, as there are some key figures who have turned out successful from this exact same spot. Two names in particular are Warren Moon, who went undrafted in 1978, and Kurt Warner, back in 1994. Both of them went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Moon went on to become a 9x Pro Bowler, NFL OPOY, Pro Bowl MVP, led the league in passing touchdowns in 1990, and in passing yards in 1990-91.
Warner finished his career regarded as the best undrafted player ever, winning two NFL MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP (SBXXXIV), 4x Pro Bowler, 2x First-team All-Pro, and led the league in passing yards (2001), touchdowns (1999, 2001), completions percentage (1999–2001), and passer rating (1999, 2001).
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Other successful QBs to go undrafted include Tony Romo, Jeff Garcia, Jake Delhomme, and Dave Kriegand. Romo finished his career as the all-time passing yards leader for the Dallas Cowboys, Farcia was a 4x Pro Bowler, Delhomme has a Super Bowl appearance, and Krieg has over 38,000 career passing yards.
All is not lost for Pavia after going undrafted, as he has a chance to join some elite company should he find himself on a roster for rookie camp starting May 11th.
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