Diego Pavia Goes Undrafted, Signs With Ravens After Wild NFL Draft Fallout

Diego Pavia’s improbable college football chapter has closed on one of the strangest notes in recent memory. The Vanderbilt quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up went unselected through all seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, becoming the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014, before quickly agreeing to a three-year free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Pavia’s path to this moment was never conventional. He began his career at a junior college before transferring to New Mexico State and ultimately Vanderbilt, where he became the face of the Commodores’ turnaround. In 2025, he was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for a conference-high touchdown total with a 70.6% completion rate, tossing just eight interceptions while piling up 39 total touchdowns, including 10 on the ground. He finished as the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting and led Vanderbilt to a 10-3 season that included the program’s first-ever win over a top-5 opponent.

From Heisman Finalist to Undrafted Free Agent

Despite that résumé, evaluators consistently flagged concerns about Pavia’s size and arm strength heading into the draft. He also chose to represent himself rather than sign with an agent during the pre-draft process, telling analyst Jon Gruden in a widely circulated interview that he didn’t want anyone “taking a percentage” of his earnings. Agent Malki Kawa later clarified that Pavia lacked an NIL agent but was represented for his NFL pursuits, though the clip resurfaced after the draft and fueled speculation about how teams viewed his overall approach.

The Ravens moved quickly once the draft ended, signing Pavia alongside fellow undrafted quarterback Joe Fagnano ahead of this weekend’s rookie minicamp. Before landing in Baltimore, Pavia had also drawn interest from the Carolina Panthers, who hosted him for a top-30 visit in April as a potential developmental option behind Bryce Young. Alternative professional leagues emerged as parallel storylines as well — the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers hold his negotiating rights, and analysts like Pat McAfee have floated the UFL as a stylistic fit given Pavia’s mobility and improvisational playing style.

Backlash Adds to the Draft-Day Drama

Adding to the noise, a screenshot purporting to show a vulgar Instagram Story from Pavia circulated on social media shortly after the draft concluded, drawing sharp reactions from fans who linked it to his unexpected slide. The post was never verified as authentic or officially tied to Pavia’s account, but it nonetheless amplified an already heated conversation about his draft outcome and reputation among some evaluators.

Pavia’s eligibility saga off the field had already made him a familiar name well before draft weekend. He spent much of 2025 playing under a preliminary injunction stemming from an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA over its redshirt rules, and a federal appeals panel upheld that arrangement in the fall after dismissing the NCAA’s challenge for lack of jurisdiction. The case reshaped eligibility rules for junior college transfers across the sport, with the NCAA ultimately issuing a blanket waiver extending an extra year of eligibility to athletes in situations similar to his.

For bettors tracking how quarterback landing spots shift roster and depth-chart value throughout the offseason, Baltimore’s backup quarterback picture is now firmly part of that conversation, and fans looking to get in on early NFL futures markets can check the latest DraftKings Promo Code offers as training camp battles begin to take shape.

What Comes Next for Pavia

Rookie minicamp represents Pavia’s first real audition inside an NFL building, but it comes without guarantees — undrafted free-agent contracts typically carry minimal guaranteed money, and Baltimore’s depth chart already features established options ahead of him. If the NFL path narrows, both the CFL and UFL remain realistic fallback routes given the existing interest already on record.

Whatever happens next, Pavia’s transition from college football’s most talked-about quarterback to an undrafted long shot marks one of the more jarring falls of this year’s draft cycle. Few players arrived at the process with a stronger statistical case, and few departed it facing more uncertainty about where their career goes from here.