Lost in much of the talk about Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback Diego Pavia has been the reason he’s even getting a chance in the NFL in the 1st place — the guy can really ball.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport singled Pavia out as 1 of the NFL’s “Most Exciting” undrafted free agents just 2 months out from the start of training camp.
Pavia is the 1st Heisman finalist since 2014 to go undrafted and signed with the Ravens on April 26.
“Pavia was a force at Vanderbilt, throwing for over 3,500 yards and an SEC-high 29 touchdowns while rushing for 862 yards and 10 more scores on the way to winning SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and finishing second in voting for the Heisman trophy,” Davenport wrote on May 25. “But then the 24-year-old became the first Heisman finalist in a dozen years to go undrafted because of a combination of age, lack of size (5’10”) and some off-field decision-making that raised questions.”
Pavia wasn’t selected in the 2026 NFL draft after a standout career at Vanderbilt due as much to his size — 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds — as his perceived attitude.
Diego Pavia & Lamar Jackson: Plenty in Common
Pavia’s game, whether people want to admit it or not, is very similar to Ravens’ starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Pavia might be a vast improvement on the litany of quarterbacks the Ravens have been forced to roll out when Jackson is injured over the last few years.
There’s 1 other similarity between Jackson and Pavia — neither quarterback has an agent.
“I didn’t think it was fair that someone was going to represent me and take 5-10%… ain’t nobody taking my money,” Pavia told former NFL head coach Jon Gruden during a recent interview.
Controversy Erupted Following Heisman Loss
After losing the Heisman Trophy to eventual No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza following the 2025 season, Pavia had to backtrack pretty quickly after posting “(EXPLETIVE) ALL THE VOTERS” on his official Instagram account after the Heisman ceremony.
Within 24 hours, Pavia posted an apology on his official X account.
“To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful,” Pavia wrote. “I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to. I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry … I’ve been doubted my whole life. Every step of my journey, I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because I’ve learned that nothing would be handed to me.”
Headed into the draft, the writing seemed to be on the wall that Pavia was going undrafted after 6 college seasons starring at 3 different colleges — New Mexico Military Institute, New Mexico State, and Vanderbilt.
Pavia led NMMI to the NJCAA national championship in 2021 and was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year at New Mexico State in 2023.
“The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Jordan Reid both released final 7-round mocks in the days leading up to the NFL draft,” Heavy’s Jonathan Adams wrote. “Pavia was absent from both mock drafts, indicating the quarterback would need to sign with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.”
Controversial Ravens QB Called NFL’s ‘Most Exciting’ Undrafted Free Agent