Diego Pavia signed a three-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Pavia received an invitation to the Ravens’ minicamp after the 2026 NFL Draft. The Heisman runner-up went undrafted but has now received guaranteed money from the Ravens. 

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 for 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his second season at New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt. 

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.

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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 quarterback 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 later apologized for this post. Although it’s unclear whether 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 spot with the Ravens. 

Lamar Jackson is the obvious starter, but Pavia could compete with Tyler Huntley for the backup spot. Former UConn QB Joe Fagnano was also invited to Ravens minicamp, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to earn a roster spot now that Pavia has been signed. 

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Article by Matthew Mendives

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