Quarterback Diego Pavia received an invite to the Baltimore Ravens minicamp.

The Vanderbilt alumnus went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. UConn QB Joe Fagnano also received an invite to the minicamp.

Pavia had 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his senior season for Vanderbilt. He finished second in Heisman voting behind Fernando Mendoza. While Mendoza got the glory of being the No. 1 overall pick, Pavia was left without a draft selection.

Originally, Pavia didn’t see pro football as a career path. He went to the New Mexico Military Institute out of high school. However, after playing football there, he realized his potential. He transferred to New Mexico State before the 2022 season. He threw 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his second season at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt.

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This is why Pavia entered the draft as a 24-year-old. He’s older than most of the other draft prospects. However, Ty Simpson was drafted in the first round and is only a year younger.

However, Pavia had another factor that dropped his draft stock. He is just 5-foot-10. This ties him with Kyler Murray and Bryce Young as the shortest QB in the league. However, Murray and Young were both 22 during their rookie seasons.

There were some character questions with Pavia. After the Heisman voting was released, Pavia posted “f— the voters” on social media. He apologized for this post later. Although it’s unclear if this impacted his draft stock, many teams do consider professionalism and sportsmanship when drafting, particularly for late-round picks, who are less likely to play early on.  

All of these factors likely played a role in Pavia going undrafted. Despite being undrafted, he showed enough talent to earn a chance with the Ravens. 

Lamar Jackson is the obvious starter, but Pavia could compete with Tyler Huntley for the backup spot. 

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Article by Matthew Mendives

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