Former Vanderbilt football quarterback and 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia remains on the 2026 NFL Draft board after the first six rounds.
Pavia, who led Vanderbilt to a record-setting season last year, finished second to No. 1 overall pick and fellow quarterback Fernando Mendoza of national champion Indiana in the Heisman voting.
Pavia, the outspoken 24-year-old also made headlines off the field, such as when he criticized Heisman voters on Instagram.
Where is Diego Pavia expected to be drafted?
Pavia is projected as a seventh-round pick or to be an undrafted free agent.
Michigan State Ryan Eckley punter was taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round with the 211th overall pick. Florida place kicker Trey Smack was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals with the first pick in the seventh round.
Where does Diego Pavia rank on Mel Kiper’s big board?
Pavia was ranked the No. 12 quarterback on the ESPN analyst’s board behind Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck, Garrett Nussemeier, Drew Allar, Cole Payton, Taylen Green, Cade Klubnik, Luke Altmyer, Sawyer Robertson and Haynes King. He is ranked two spots ahead of former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, No. 1 overall by the Raiders
- Ty Simpson, Alabama, No. 13 overall by Rams
- Carson Beck, Miami, No. 65 overall by Dolphins
- Drew Allar, Penn State, No. 76 overall by Steelers
- Cade Klubnik, Clemson, No. 110 overall by Jets
- Cole Payton, North Dakota State, No. 178 overall to Eagles
- Taylen Green, Arkansas, No. 182 overall by Browns
- Athan Kaliakamanis, No. 223 overall by Commanders
How tall is Diego Pavia?
Vanderbilt listed Pavia as 6-foot. However, he was measured at the Senior Bowl as standing 5-9⅞. That will play a large part of Pavia getting drafted.
What were Diego Pavia’s college stats?
In 2025, Pavia was 267-for-378 passing for 3,539 yards and an SEC-best 29 touchdowns while also leading the conference in quarterback rating (170.4) passing % (70.6), yards gained per pass attempt (9.4) and adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (9.94). He also ran for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In two seasons at Vanderbilt, Pavia was 444-for-676 for 5,832 yards and 49 touchdowns and 12 interceptions passing in 26 career games. He ran for 1,663 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
