Immediately upon the 2026 NFL Draft concluding on Saturday, sharks began to circle former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. The controversial passer became the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted in the NFL Draft since 2014.
As of publication, Pavia has yet to receive even an undrafted free agent contract, nor has he received a minicamp invite.
Critics have been thrilled to jump on Pavia, especially after his antics following the Heisman Trophy ceremony. But while Pavia did himself few favors with his behavior, trying to make his lack of professional opportunities a scathing indictment of his character misses the point.
Pavia is legitimately one of the most unbelievable stories in the history of college football. He turned down a wrestling scholarship to bet on himself and play JUCO football at New Mexico Military Institute, leading the program to a national title. A year later, he joined Jerry Kill's squad at New Mexico State and led the team to a historic 10-win season and upset victory over Auburn.
Before Pavia's arrival, Vanderbilt had not had a winning season since James Franklin left after the 2013 season. He led it to back-to-back winning campaigns, including the first 10-win season in program history. As a senior, Pavia put up absolutely silly numbers: 3,539 yards passing, 862 yards rushing and 39 total touchdowns in the SEC to earn a Heisman invite.
The story of Diego Pavia should be about one of the most transformative winners in college football, a player who reached the highest level through sheer force of will. At the same time, his measurables meant he was never a serious NFL Draft candidate, no moralizing needed.
Of course, the height issue is the elephant in the room. Pavia measured 5-feet-10 ⅛. Not only is that the shortest of any player at the NFL combine, but it's the shortest by more than 2 inches. His Senior Bowl listing was even a touch shorter at 5-9 ⅞, which would have made him shorter than even Bryce Young and Kyler Murray.
For comparison, former Oregon star Dillon Gabriel was considered exceptionally short for an NFL quarterback prospect. He listed a full inch taller than Pavia and also boasted an arm length a full inch longer. Young's arm measured 2 inches longer than Pavia's. Murray's measurables were closer, but he managed it by ranking as one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks in the history of the draft.
But even putting aside the frame issues, Pavia's game was never built for the NFL. Pavia rarely worked in structure, instead buying time with his legs to create opportunities downfield. Even so, his 4.76 40-yard dash did nothing to get scouts' attention.
While he developed a deadly accurate intermediate game, more than 60% of his passes were fewer than 10 yards downfield. Pavia is strong, but like many shorter quarterbacks, his limited frame prevents him from generating the power of lengthier passers.
Some of his limitations showed up at his pro day performance. According to The Tennessean, Pavia connected on only three of 12 deep passes that they graded as "on-time and on-target." Five misses were overthrown and four were underthrown. The ball floated on multiple deeper throws.
Now, let's be clear, Pavia did himself no favors during the process. After losing the Heisman Trophy to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, he made multiple expletive-laden public statements, including one targeting Heisman voters for disrespecting him.
He was also pictured at a nightclub getting bottle service with a sign that said "F--- Indiana," a shot at Mendoza. And while it's flown under the radar, Pavia's behavior has been immature for years. While at New Mexico State, Pavia famously trespassed at rival New Mexico's practice field and urinated on it.
These missteps are absolutely childish. If he boasted more pro-ready measurables, they would have likely hurt his draft stock. As is, they might be impacting potential undrafted opportunities and minicamp invites. At the same time, they're leading to revisionism.
"This kid has had an unbelievable career," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said after the Heisman incidents. "It's an amazing story, and he got up until the point where he was reaching a childhood dream, and he fell just short and there's so much goodness in that ... in a moment where I think he was trying to communicate that, he used words that sent the wrong message, that don't align with our program, that don't align with who he is. And we make mistakes."
Pavia made some silly mistakes that deservedly hurt his public reputation. At the same time, we don't have to turn this into something it's not.
Over his standout career, Pavia has not been a problem inside his football buildings. He's established himself as one of the hardest workers everywhere he's played. Tight end Eli Stowers roomed with Pavia at Vanderbilt after transferring with him from New Mexico State.
"As a person, I love him to death," Stowers said. "He's the best teammate you could have."
As we mentioned, Pavia is the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014. That player was Jordan Lynch, a running quarterback from Northern Illinois who unsuccessfully tried to change positions in the NFL. A year prior, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein – another run-first quarterback – went undrafted. He also did not receive an undrafted free agent contract.
With Pavia's limited frame and athleticism, he doesn't even have the possibility of changing positions. There's a decent chance he finds some success in the UFL or CFL, but the NFL is likely never calling.