After being a Heisman finalist in 2025, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia found himself a rookie tryout at Ravens rookie minicamp. While he earned a spot on the 90-man roster through it, he’s got a long way to go. While his age and stature, and the system he played in, were question marks for teams, so was his attitude. Most infamously, he lambasted Heisman voters when he finished second to first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
Diego Pavia, though, has unquestionable college production. Last season, he threw for 29 touchdowns and ran for another 10. He finished his college career with 88 passing touchdowns and 31 rushing. After two years at New Mexico State, he transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024. He had his best college season a year ago, putting him firmly in the Heisman conversation.
Rather than being a high draft pick, however, he found himself fielding tryout offers in the waning hours of the weekend. And Pavia accepted an invitation with the Ravens, perhaps seeing a path to a backup role. Baltimore has Lamar Jackson, of course, which was a no-go for Shedeur Sanders. But behind him is Tyler Huntley, and beyond that, it’s an open competition.
On the field, Diego Pavia certainly has the production to make a run at the Ravens’ QB3 job. But does he have the professional attitude required to make it at this level, and how will his skills convert into the NFL? For HC Jesse Minter, he wants his young arm to accept the process.
“Now he’s in the door and it’s like, ‘Show us what you can do’”, Minter said of Pavia after making the Ravens’ offseason roster. He admitted that he’s “had some experiences that are learning experiences that he could learn from and be better from”, which is, of course, an understatement. But he told tales of glowing talk from his old college stomping grounds.
I did notice, however, the wording that the Ravens head coach used regarding what Vanderbilt said of Diego Pavia. “When you talk to the people inside that building and what he’s about as a player”, Minter said, “he is showing up early every day and working really hard”.
He specified what they said about Pavia as a player—not as a person. Yes, he described a player with a work ethic, but that’s not hard to find in the NFL. There are plenty of players who work hard, yet lack the professional wherewithal to make it. If that ends up being Pavia, he would be far from the first, and certainly won’t be the last.
Either way, Minter made clear that the Ravens aren’t necessarily done looking at quarterbacks. With Pavia, they now have four on the roster, including Joe Fagnano. They are open to continuing to look at the veteran market, so Pavia may want to stay away from Instagram.
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