Heisman Runner-Up Diego Pavia Cut By Ravens Before Camp Even Opens

On Thursday, Diego Pavia‘s rocky path to the NFL hit another setback, as the Baltimore Ravens waived the former Vanderbilt quarterback just days before the team’s full-squad training camp practices were set to begin.

Pavia, who finished as Heisman Trophy runner-up last season after leading Vanderbilt to the first 10-win campaign in program history, went unselected in April’s draft despite throwing for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns during his final college season. Scouts had reportedly questioned whether his compact 5-foot-10 frame would translate against NFL competition, concerns that lingered even as Baltimore signed him as an undrafted free agent and kept him around throughout the offseason program.

The move wasn’t purely about performance on the practice field — the Ravens needed a roster spot for veteran center Ethan Pocic, whose addition pushed the numbers game against Pavia. But the deeper issue, according to reporting on the decision, was that Baltimore simply didn’t view him as good enough to hold one of the roster’s final quarterback spots.

With Lamar Jackson entrenched as the starter and Tyler Huntley presumed to lock down the backup role, the Ravens narrowed their competition for the third and fourth quarterback jobs to veteran Skylar Thompson and rookie undrafted signee Joe Fagnano, leaving Pavia on the outside.

There was reason to think Pavia had an inside track with Baltimore specifically: new head coach Jesse Minter reportedly took interest in him partly on the recommendation of Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, a friend who’d coached Pavia the past two seasons. That connection ultimately didn’t carry enough weight once the coaching staff evaluated him directly against the rest of the quarterback room during offseason workouts.

The release marks an unwanted bit of history for Pavia, who becomes the first Heisman finalist to go through an entire draft unselected since 2014. He isn’t necessarily out of options, however — the timing of his release, ahead of the start of camp rather than after final roster cuts, gives him a chance to latch on with another team looking for competition at the position, or potentially explore the Canadian Football League, whose season runs through October.