After entering the 2026 NFL Draft with high hopes, quarterback Diego Pavia ultimately never heard his name called. In a weak QB class, the Vanderbilt star went undrafted; however, the Baltimore Ravens signed him shortly after to shore up their depth at the position. New head coach Jesse Minter, for one, is very optimistic about Pavia’s outlook.
Diego Pavia Praised by Ravens HC Jesse Minter, but There’s Still Work To Do
Despite Pavia topping all college QBs in the PFSN CFB QB Impact Metric in 2025, fans and analysts weren’t really sold on the young signal-caller on his pro journey. Against the backdrop of his 10,255 college passing yards and 88 touchdowns, many still thought his frame wouldn’t survive the NFL.
Teams around the league shared a similar feeling about the prospect, leading him to go undrafted and be picked up by Minter’s Ravens. The head coach, nonetheless, believes Pavia has plenty of potential, as he elaborated on the latest “Good Morning Football.”
“One thing I’d say about Diego, and Clark Lea, the head coach of Vanderbilt, is a really close friend of mine, [Pavia] is a force multiplier at Vanderbilt,” he said. “And he came in there at a time when they really needed to get it going, and Clark was building something, and this guy made everybody in the building better. He’s one of the first people in, he’s one of the last to leave.”
“This guy is a force multiplier at Vanderbilt” @Coach_Minter on former Vandy and new Ravens QB @diegopavia02 👇 pic.twitter.com/Q0K0xsRCpI
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) April 29, 2026
Coming through the ranks of the Division I Independents and Conference USA, Pavia showed the necessary work ethic to make it to the SEC with Vanderbilt. He took the reins of Clark Lea’s 2-10 Commodores outfit and ran them all the way to a Birmingham Bowl win over Georgia Tech in his first year in 2024, with a 7-6 record.
“He’s a really hard worker,” Minter added. “We’ll certainly have some talks on how to handle certain things a little bit better. But again, any rookie undrafted free agent they come in and work. Let what you do on the field, and by your actions, show who you really are, and we’ll let him come in with a little bit of a clean slate and give him a platform along with the rest of the guys to see what they can do.”
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Pavia and the Commodores followed up their 7-6 campaign with a strong 10-3 run in 2025 and a ReliaQuest Bowl appearance. Moreover, they finished 15th in the final AP Poll, their highest in 77 years.
The quarterback had a memorable run in the toughest conference in college football, and now it remains to be seen whether his success can carry over to the pros.
