Posted on 04/27/2026 6:41:19 PM PDT by DoodleBob
Diego Pavia was not drafted over the weekend, but there’s still some potential demand for his services.
The undersized Vanderbilt QB accepted an invite to Ravens minicamp on a tryout basis after not being selected during the three-day, seven-round 2026 NFL Draft.
“I’m sure that he’s disappointed that he didn’t get drafted, of course,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday. “The Ravens minicamp is this weekend, but there are other teams that have their minicamps the next weekend. …”
McAfee also posited the Heisman Trophy finalist could spend a few weeks in the UFL to further make his NFL case.
What Pavia bings to the field isn’t in question: he threw for 29 touchdowns and added 10 more on the ground in leading the Commodores to a 10-3 mark en route to winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the best upperclassman quarterback in college football, as well as being named a first-team All-American and SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
“Can the kid play football?” Vandy tight end and Eagles second-round pick Eli Stowers said of his QB at the school’s pro day. “And Diego was the best player in college football last year. He led the entire country in total yards. I mean, he won 10 games and got us to the point where we had two winning seasons back-to-back after going 2-10 the year before.”
Off the field, however, there are hesitations about the Albuquerque, N.M. native.
His vitals — 24 years old and standing at 5-foot-10 — aren’t optimal for an NFL quarterback, and he comes with a brash persona.
Pavia famously posted “F–K ALL THE VOTERS” on social media after Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman over him.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Makes me think of Doug Flutie.
Except Flutie was a class act.
Kyler Murray is 5’10”..................
Kids mouth got him in trouble. Nobody needs a rookie with a bad attitude.
Nobody needs a rookie with a bad attitude
From Vandy, no less, Yeah i’m a Georgia Dawg
And what has he done for you lately... ?
When it comes to QB’s... The last word you want to hear is ‘undersized’. The kid should go to the CFL... It’s a QB driven league where ‘undersized’ players can shine... The NFL is no place of ‘undersized’ people.
There are plenty of defensive players today with hands that are 10”, and sometimes 11”... This dude is 5’-10”... Imagine an edge running through the offensive tackles and slapping him upside the head with an 11” hand... He’d be hospitalized... That would not look good for the NFL.
That’s what Glanville and the Falcons thought when they traded a certain HOF QB to the Packers...
The multiple key words to be utilized in any given audible on the same initial offensive set were many and unique with at least a dozen variations depending on subtle changes in the structure of the defense.
Within 15 minutes, Pavia had a full and complete grasp of every key word, the correct set of audibles to be called for any given defensive scheme and the routes/assignments for the entire offense.
It was a very impressive display of football intelligence.
He’s got the smarts to play in the NFL, but his size and his attitude thus far are certainly holding him back.
From Vandy, no less,
Like Jay Cutler.
I think he reminds too many people of Manziel.
Maybe going to Canada first could be his best move.
He had that intangible that should be most valued-heart. Also, the grit and determination to prove the naysayers wrong. He is more of a class act than Pavia, but it looks like it's the same chip on their shoulders. Just sayin, don't be a Wade and pooh-pooh him just coz his size (although Phillips did say later that the Bills owner at the time ordered him to start Johnson over Flutie in the AFC Championship). Russell Wilson, Sonny Jurgensen, and Pat Haden were all 5'11", only an inch taller than Flutie; did they suck? Do you even know who Jurgensen and Haden are? I would have love to have seen the possibilities of what Doug could have done in his prime in the NFL. Now I'm not saying he was the be all end all; small hands led to fumbles, although of his 37 career NFL fumbles, he recovered 16 of them (there's that grit). But I would take him over half of the NFL starters today. Flutie is the poster boy for NFL shortsightedness when it comes to evaluating talent with regard to traditional NFL yardsticks.
NFL rosters have at least three QBs although usually only two are active.
Lot of no-names for the back-ups.
And when these back-ups get a chance to play because of injury, you see why they are no-names.
A lot of QB is what is above the shoulders not physical attributes.
Justin Fields would be a case in point or Will Levis.
Pavia doesn’t have their physcial ability but he may have the instincts to be a serviceable back-up.
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
These teams have great coaches that adapt the style of play and play calling to fit the QB. Look at the Pats after Bledsoe; they went from a gunslinger, big arm vertical game with high risk/reward (more yards/more picks), to a more controlled, precision game that changed with each opponent (hat tip to Belichick). Game tailored to exploit Bledsoe's explosive arm, game tailored to Brady's football IQ and accuracy by expanding into spread concepts, option routes, and matchup exploitation.
Here is an example I get roasted about time and time again (Caveat; inherent SEC bias). Tebow was a wasted talent. I'm not saying he was a generational talent, but he proved his capability when he advanced a 2011 1-4 Orton lead team to an 8-8 team, and then beat a Ben led steeler team in the wildcard before playing the Brady juggernaut, first time in playoffs since 2005. And the Broncos stunk between those years. Now, I understand him being let go, I mean, come on, Peyton Manning was available. But the Jets had a great culture of losing, and so ended Tim's dream. Tebow is a winner. Tailoring an offensive scheme around a player that brings that intangible should not be seen as revolutionary. Now, wrong team, wrong time? Maybe, I guess God had other plans for him. His college stats show he can throw the ball in the appropriate system; for crying out loud, he had a 170 passer rating those four years at the U (yes Tallahassee, Florida is the U, not you). Or maybe I'm just talkin out my SEC east azz.
He’s a cocky little squirt.
Diego is too short plus he has a crappola attitude.
Yeah... Yeah... Yeah... But Flutie had a good vertical jump. I.E. He could jump and then occasional see down field... Making it somewhat easier to throw the ball to a good receiver.
BTW - Offensive linemen were smaller in Flutie’s day.
Can this dude jump... It’s very important, because if he can’t he’ll never see over his offensive linemen who are now typically 6’5”.
“Imagine an edge running through the offensive tackles and slapping him upside the head with an 11” hand”
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In today’s NFL, anyone slapping a QB in the head would be fined and suspended. To the contrary, QBs are more babied in the NFL than they have ever been. He may not have the physical attributes to succeed (And he may just be a complete jerk), but the guy is way tougher than most people who play his position.
Yep, and how did he do? Might be good athletes but to small for the NFL.
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