Diego Pavia hasn’t been selected through two days of the 2026 NFL Draft, and all eyes will be on the Vanderbilt QB entering Day 3.As Pavia waits to hear if his name will be called, his brothers Javier and Roel will certainly be by his side. The rowdy duo made headlines throughout the college football season, and here’s everything you need to know about the Pavia siblings.
Diego Pavia’s Siblings: Who Are Javier and Roel?
Roel and Javier are Diego’s older siblings, and they had impressive athletic reputations of their own in Albuquerque long before their younger brother became a household name. Both brothers starred as multi-sport athletes at Albuquerque High School.
Roel graduated in 2017 after a standout career as a quarterback and defensive back. He threw for over 2,000 yards during his senior season and competed in wrestling and baseball. Roel eventually took his talents to the NAIA level to wrestle and play cornerback at Briar Cliff University in Iowa.
Javier followed a similar path as a 2018 graduate. He anchored the Albuquerque defense as a linebacker while also lining up at wide receiver. Javier found significant success on the wrestling mat as well. He placed fourth at 138 pounds in the 2018 New Mexico State Wrestling Championships.
Diego’s brothers are intensely loyal and tough, and they all pushed each other relentlessly in wrestling rooms and on football fields throughout their childhood.
A prospect’s inner circle undergoes intense scrutiny during the pre-draft process, so it’s worth noting that Javier and Roel repeatedly drew law-enforcement attention during Vanderbilt’s historic 10-3 campaign. The brothers established a pattern of stadium ejections that overshadowed their sibling’s on-field success.
Police arrested both men in August during a blowout victory over Charleston Southern at FirstBank Stadium. Officers responded to reports of a belligerent fan throwing food and harassing spectators.
Roel escalated the situation by pushing a university police officer in the chest to prevent Javier’s arrest. He then attempted to flee the scene on foot before officers apprehended him in a nearby parking lot. Prosecutors charged Roel with a felony for assaulting an officer, alongside misdemeanor charges for public intoxication and resisting arrest.
Police handcuffed Javier again at Neyland Stadium in late November. Event staff repeatedly warned the 25-year-old to stop blocking spectators with a large flag during Vanderbilt’s win over Tennessee. Police reports indicate Javier slurred his words, swayed on his feet, and became highly combative with the arresting officer. Authorities booked him into Knox County Jail on a public intoxication charge before releasing him on his own recognizance.
The stadium incidents create unnecessary friction for a draft prospect already facing an uphill battle due to his size and questions about how his game will translate to the next level. Two AFC scouts brought up Pavia’s brothers to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero when discussing concerns about the QB and how he’s perceived around the NFL.
“He has fun off the field and hasn’t been secret about it. He’s got some brothers that he’s close with that can be around — they seem like a tight-knit group, and that’s one thing teams will be questioning, if he’ll be able to always make the right decisions to separate himself,” one scout said.
“I don’t think he’s going to embrace being a backup,” added an AFC scouting director. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but he’s coming to take someone’s job and it’s going to be kind of an interesting dynamic wherever he goes. Because you know the fans are going to be calling for him wherever he goes. The brothers will be in the stands. During the interview process, most guys would [downplay it]. He embraces his brothers. ‘They’re coming with me. Those are my guys. They ain’t going anywhere.’”
Pavia proudly embraces his family’s unapologetic approach and his loyalty and realness have helped make him a fan favorite, while also complicating his draft stock.
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 3.
“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 noted. “If there’s one thing Pavia has going for him, it’s his competitive toughness.”
In Cummings’ Day 3 mock draft, he has Pavia going undrafted.
An NFC scouting director told Pelissero “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.
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.
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 Saturday, all eyes will be on Pavia to see where one of the more interesting prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft will land.
