Diego Pavia: NFL Teams Don't Think QB Has ‘Much' Talent

Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had a rough draft weekend.

Pavia became the first Heisman Trophy finalist to not be drafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014. Lynch signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent that year but was released after training camp. He spent two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League before retiring as a player.

Like Lynch, Pavia is going the undrafted route.

The Baltimore Ravens signed Pavia to a three-year contract before rookie minicamp over the weekend. The Ravens wanted to give the quarterback a chance to prove his upside.

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Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, teams around the league are skeptical of Pavia’s ability to play at the NFL level.

“Diego Pavia has provided a good example of why guys coming into the league must be very careful with their words,” Breer wrote. “Teams' tolerance for that sort of stuff is relative to a player's talent, and if the feel is that a guy doesn't have much (which is how most see Pavia), then social media missives like the one Pavia fired off during the draft can be really damaging.”

Pavia made controversial comments after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, for which the Ravens quarterback later apologized.

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter wanted Pavia to “show” what he could do during OTAs this spring. Minter believes the quarterback will compete as hard as he can after talking to his former coaches at Vandy.

“[Pavia has] had some experiences that are learning experiences that he could learn from and be better from,” Minter said. “I don’t think anybody would dispute that. But when you talk to the people inside that building [at Vanderbilt] and what he’s about as a player, he is showing up early every day and working really hard.”

While most league teams weren’t willing to take a chance on Pavia, the young quarterback will have a perfect opportunity with the Ravens. Baltimore entered the offseason with only Tyler Huntley to back up Lamar Jackson.

Pavia’s college history was littered with examples of his ability to exceed expectations. He clearly has some talent, or he wouldn’t have been with Baltimore during rookie minicamp.

What he does with the talent during the preseason could determine how long he lasts in the league.

For more on the Ravens and the NFL, head toNewsweek Sports.

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 7:57 PM.