Diego Pavia led the SEC in completion percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating and touchdown passes last season. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.
Yet, he might go undrafted.
The Vanderbilt quarterback’s pre-draft journey has become one of the strangest storylines of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pavia racked up more than 4,400 combined yards and 39 total touchdowns in 2025.
Between concerns on his tape, immaturity issues, and the QB measuring just under 5-foot-10 at the Senior Bowl, it remains to be seen if Pavia will hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Diego Pavia’s NFL Draft Projection: Round 6, Round 7 or UDFA
PFSN’s lead NFL Draft analyst Ian Cummings shared his thoughts on Pavia’s projection entering Day 2.
“I see Diego Pavia going in the Round 6 or Round 7 range, if he is drafted at all. Ultimately, he could also slide into the Priority Free Agent pool,” Cummings wrote. “If there’s one thing Pavia has going for him, it’s his competitive toughness.”
PFSN’s Jacob Infante left him off his Day 2 and 3 mock entirely, projecting the Heisman runner-up will be an undrafted free agent.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero pressed the league on Pavia this week and got the coldest answers of the draft cycle. An NFC scouting director told him “the whole schtick gets old” and compared Pavia to Johnny Manziel. An AFC quarterbacks coach acknowledged the toughness and the speed of operation but kept circling back to the size.
The Carolina Panthers brought Pavia in for a pre-draft visit. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported other teams are doing independent work. The question is whether these teams are evaluating him as a late-round pick or doing their homework on a potential UDFA.
Why Pavia’s Elite College Numbers Don’t Translate
Pavia posted a 94.8 PFSN QB Impact grade in 2025, which was the best in the nation. Last season, Pavia graded out better than Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson, both of whom were drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
However, the big questions about Pavia are related to how his game will translate to the NFL.
“At 5’10”, 208 pounds, Pavia has below-average size. He’s not a great size-adjusted athlete, and he has poor arm strength,” Cummings wrote. “On top of that, his operational skill set leaves much to be desired. He’s a below-average processor whose vision falters on pure dropbacks, and while he’s generally accurate, he has a slimmer margin for error mechanically with his weaker arm.
“Pavia avoids ill-advised risks, and he boasts a juiced-up and gritty running style. His processing isn’t quite NFL-caliber, nor is his arm strength, and even his athleticism might not be as prevalent against NFL talent. Pavia has the desired mobility, toughness, and quick-game utility to function as an NFL backup, but his ceiling is likely capped beyond that.”
An offense built around Pavia’s defiance, play extension, and RPO identity at Vanderbilt isn’t one any NFL offensive coordinator is going to install for an older prospect with average arm strength and no standout physical markers.
When Pavia was asked in pre-draft interviews about coming in as a backup, his answer was that he wasn’t coming in to be a backup, per Pelissero. That mindset made him a Heisman finalist at Vanderbilt. It plays differently in an NFL position room where a team wants him to know his role and develop behind the scenes without rocking the boat.
The real irony of Pavia’s draft case is that going undrafted might serve him better than getting picked late. As a priority free agent, he controls his landing spot and picks the depth chart that gives him the cleanest developmental path. Picked in the seventh round, he lands where he’s told and sits behind whichever veteran the team already trusts.
On Friday and Saturday, all eyes will be on Pavia to see where one of the more interesting prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft will land.
