Diego Pavia goes undrafted
- Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, then accepted an invitation to attend the Baltimore Ravens’ rookie minicamp next weekend. - Pavia finished 2025 with 3,539 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes and 862 rushing yards, but NFL.com graded him as an average backup prospect. - His extra 2025 season followed an NCAA eligibility fight that extended his college career before Sunday’s minicamp path opened. (espn.com) (nfl.com)
Diego Pavia went unselected through all seven rounds of the 2026 National Football League Draft and then accepted a Baltimore Ravens rookie minicamp invitation. (espn.com) (nfl.com) Pavia entered the draft after a 2025 season at Vanderbilt in which he threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns, added 862 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores, and posted an 87.3 QBR in 13 games. (espn.com) (cfbstats.com) NFL.com listed Pavia at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 207 pounds and gave him a 5.95 prospect grade, describing him as an average backup or special-teamer. Its prospect page ranked him 10th among quarterbacks in the 2026 combine class. (nfl.com) That gap between college production and draft result put Pavia into the undrafted market instead of a drafted roster spot. NFL.com’s post-draft rankings still included him among the top undrafted rookie free agents by position. (nfl.com) Pavia’s path to this draft was unusual before the scouting debate even started. He returned for the 2025 season only after suing the National Collegiate Athletic Association over rules that counted junior-college seasons against Division I eligibility. (espn.com) (law.justia.com) A federal appeals panel later dismissed the NCAA’s appeal after the association granted a waiver covering athletes in Pavia’s position, which guaranteed he could play for Vanderbilt in 2025. (espn.com) At Vanderbilt, that extra year turned into one of the most productive quarterback seasons in school history. The school’s athletics site lists his 2024 honors, including Southeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year, before his 2025 return pushed his profile even higher. (vucommodores.com) (vanderbilthustler.com) Now the next checkpoint is Baltimore’s rookie minicamp, where undrafted players try to turn a camp invite into a contract or a longer offseason look. For Pavia, the draft ended without a pick, but not without an opening. (espn.com)
