Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia became the first Heisman Trophy finalist since 2014 to go undrafted. He accepted a rookie minicamp invite with the Baltimore Ravens after the draft.
His situation has drawn the attention of more than a few. After all, it’s not often that Vanderbilt enjoys the kind of success it did under Pavia.
FS1 media personality Skip Bayless weighed in on the 2026 NFL Draft tumble for Pavia late on Sunday evening. He was shocked that the Commodores star didn’t merit a selection in the draft.
“I realize his off-field has caused some concerns, but Diego Pavia deserved better than a minicamp tryout with the Ravens,” Bayless wrote on Twitter. “He did lead the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 6-2 SEC record, did beat Bama the season before, did scare Texas twice.”
With Diego Pavia leading the charge, Vanderbilt posted a 10-2 regular-season record and a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Commodores narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff, landing at No. 14 in the selection committee’s rankings.
While Pavia excelled on the field last season, some NFL scouts expressed concern about his size ahead of the draft. After all, Pavia is only 5-foot-10 — substantially shorter than the average starting QB in the NFL.