Diego Pavia, formerly of Vanderbilt football, will attend rookie minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Pavia was the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. One of the most prolific college quarterbacks of the past two years both on and off the field, he led the Commodores to a 10-3 record in 2025 and back-to-back bowl appearances in 2024 and 2025.
Though he was electric on the field in college, he was not considered a top NFL prospect due to a lack of size and that his skillset is seemingly better tailored for a college system than an NFL one. Regardless, the 24-year-old brings a highly competitive mindset to every game. He became the first Heisman Trophy finalist to not get drafted since 2014.
Pavia is known for both his electric two-way production on the field and his fiery personality. His antics frequently got him in the news, sometimes for the wrong reasons. But he was also credited with helping engineer a culture shift at Vanderbilt, helping them believe that they could achieve anything − even a national championship. He helped the Commodores to their first 10-win season ever and was their first-ever Heisman finalist, often willing the team to wins by himself.
While his personality can be polarizing, a team that wants a bulldog personality at quarterback will likely find Pavia appealing.
Pavia has an accurate arm and is good at reading defenses, especially in RPO-based systems. His best quality, however, is his ability to always avoid sacks. There have been times where he's had multiple defenders trying to tackle him and still managed to spin out of it and make a play.
There are some concerns that the things that made him great in college won't translate as well to the NFL. He makes his best plays outside the pocket and on the run, and he's undersized. But it's also hard to bet against him given what he's accomplished in his college career with multiple teams lacking in history.
Diego Pavia started all 26 games for Vanderbilt in 2024 and 2025. His 2025 season was his most productive, when he went 267-for-378 passing for 3539 yards, 29 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran 167 times for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns.
He set a school record with 484 passing yards in a win over Kentucky in November 2025.
PAVIA. SPENCE. JUMP PASS. TDBallgame ✅ pic.twitter.com/BoGSFgpbd4
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 10, 2025
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 18, 2025
Diego Pavia measures 5-foot-10⅛ at the NFL combine.
Diego Pavia did not do athletic testing at the NFL draft combine.
At Vanderbilt's pro day, he ran a 4.76 40-yard dash and did not participate in either the broad or vertical jump.
Diego Pavia spent two years at New Mexico Military Institute, two years at New Mexico State and two years at Vanderbilt.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Diego Pavia invited to Baltimore Ravens minicamp after Vanderbilt career