The NFL Draft Combine has arrived, offering top college prospects an opportunity to boost their draft stock ahead of April. One player looking to take advantage of the process is Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Here’s a closer look at when the Heisman nominee plans to throw and the full details of his workout schedule.
Diego Pavia’s Plan for the NFL Combine
Today, between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m., quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers will take the field for on-field workouts.
As PFSN analyst Ellis Williams put it, the quarterback session “centers on scripted throws and movement drills.” Williams added, “The 40-yard dash is conducted within each position group’s scheduled workout window, but for quarterbacks, the throwing session remains the focal point.”
For Pavia, the throwing session is his sole priority. During his combine interview Friday morning, he made that clear.
“I’ll be throwing. I’ll be saving all the other stuff for pro day. I’m hoping to show them, when you get me, you got an NFL quarterback.”
While Pavia will participate in the throwing portion, fans will have to wait until Vanderbilt’s pro day on March 18 for his official measurements and 40-yard dash time. Those numbers could be especially telling for his draft stock, as Pavia is noticeably undersized and lacks the elite physical traits of other top quarterback prospects.
In PFSN’s latest 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft, that sentiment proved true, as analyst Jacob Infante projected Pavia to go undrafted. Between his age, a personality that fans have come to dislike, and the lack of high-level attributes, Pavia is already behind the eight ball.
On a positive note, Pavia was exceptional in his final collegiate season. The senior appeared in 13 games for the Commodores, completing 267 passes for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions. He also carried the ball 167 times for 862 rushing yards and 10 scores.
The 24-year-old also posted a 94.8 QB Impact Score, ranking first among all quarterbacks according to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact metric. Meanwhile, he led Vanderbilt’s offense to the No. 2-ranked unit in the nation, per PFSN’s CFB Offense Impact metric. Regardless of his NFL Draft status, expect Pavia to come out firing today.
Alongside Pavia, other quarterbacks expected to throw include Penn State’s Drew Allar, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Fernando Mendoza, however, does not plan to throw. Instead, fans will get to see the Heisman winner throw at his pro day on April 1.
