Diego Pavia going undrafted during the 2026 NFL Draft became a historic surprise. The Vanderbilt star became the first Heisman Trophy finalist in 12 years to get passed on by every team. But now the Baltimore Ravens entered his picture Sunday.
Pavia has accepted an invitation for the Ravens’ minicamp for the weekend of May 2, per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The dual-threat quarterback entered draft weekend confident someone would select him. Pavia even threw a pre-draft party featuring hats of all 32 franchises.
The setup for Diego Pavia’s draft party. We will see where the Vanderbilt QB goes. @WKRN pic.twitter.com/66iMsshgYC
— Julian Mininsohn (@JMininsohn) April 25, 2026
But Pavia never received a phone call between rounds one through seven. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero revealed why Pavia was falling on boards.
“Coaches and executives I’ve talked to, they like the competitor. Pavia knows football. Coaches have enjoyed talking X’s and O’s with him through the process,” Pelissero began. “[But] if you’re going to take a QB late, and Pavia is right on that border of potentially being a late-round pick, or being a priority free agent, you have to think about the dynamics, where he’s not walking in as QB1.”
Pavia faced other odds too outside of facing long odds of landing a QB1 job.
He lacked the prototypical size teams looked for in a QB as Pavia falls below six-feet. Many scouts reportedly also wondered if his 5-foot-9 frame could withstand taking NFL hits by linebacker and linemen. Especially with Pavia’s game tailored made for running.
But Pavia’s infamous Heisman rant came into light too, which he said “f— all the voters” in an Instagram post. He ultimately apologized, but the tirade sparked questions about his maturity.
Now he could join another dual-threat in Lamar Jackson if he wins over Baltimore.
Diego Pavia going undrafted during the 2026 NFL Draft became a historic surprise. The Vanderbilt star became the first Heisman Trophy finalist in 12 years to get passed on by every team. But now the Baltimore Ravens entered his picture Sunday. Pavia has accepted an invitation for the Ravens’ minicamp for the weekend of May 2, per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.