The Carolina Panthers have had plenty of ups and downs in the Bryce Young era. This past season, the young signal-caller led the team to the playoffs and finally showed some of the qualities that made him a highly regarded prospect out of college. One big drawback that is still a point of contention is his frame. Young measured 5’10” tall while also possessing 9.5-inch hands. Comically enough, the Carolina Panthers recently held a visit with another light-framed quarterback in Diego Pavia, and both QBs have plenty of similarities.
#Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia, the 2025 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, is visiting the #Panthers today, source says.
The 24-year-old helped Vandy to its first win over a top-5 team in program history. pic.twitter.com/9fHT9XmhBZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 7, 2026
Pavia is on the Panthers’ radar entering the 2026 NFL Draft
Recently, Pavia featured in a video with QB guru Jon Gruden where he simply told his doubters to “go watch the tape.”
Measuring at approximately the same height as Young, he’s also displayed plenty of talent on the field, although his off-the-field comments and actions have drawn ire from certain NFL fan circles, such as when he made a “disrespectful” social media post regarding Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza after the Indiana sensation beat out Pavia for the prestigious award.
Off-the-field matters aside, if the Panthers are given the opportunity to draft Pavia, and they do in fact strike, then in tandem with Young, Carolina would surely have one of the shortest QB rooms in NFL history; they’ve shown that they have no problem drafting a guy with a similar build, and interestingly enough, that might make the Panthers a viable option for Pavia in terms of his future career aspirations.
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