After going undrafted, Diego Pavia has earned his first shot in the NFL with the Ravens.
Following the 2026 NFL draft, the Ravens initially invited Pavia to their rookie minicamp for a tryout. Before minicamp began, the Ravens decided to sign Pavia as an undrafted free agent.
Pavia heads to the NFL after a six-year college career that included stops at the New Mexico Military Institute, New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. He saw his greatest success over his final season with Vanderbilt, leading them to a 10-3 record, becoming a first-team All-American and finishing second in the Heisman trophy voting to Fernando Mendoza. He was the first Heisman trophy finalist since 2014 to go undrafted, but now will get a chance to make an NFL roster in Baltimore.
“Diego, just like a lot of the undrafted free agents, trying to make his mark,” Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said of Pavia. “Honestly it’s the first two days, so it’s so much learning, so much about getting acclimated to how we operate, especially to a new offense from a quarterback’s perspective. This guy, I know the program that he came from, I know a lot of people that worked with him. Really, really hard worker. Think he really helped elevate that program in the SEC playing against really good competition. Now he’s in the door. Show us what you can do, let the chips fall where they may, just like all the undrafted rookies that’s what I’d say.”
After a successful final season with Vanderbilt, Pavia did cause some controversy when he posted “F-all the voters” on social media after the Heisman trophy ceremony. He later apologized, acknowledging that he did not handle his emotions well enough. Minter previously worked as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2021. Though this was before Pavia arrived, he knows Coach Lea and the program Pavia comes from well.
“He’s had some experiences that are learning experiences that he could learn from and be better from, I don’t think anybody would dispute that,” Minter noted. “But when you talk to the people inside that building, what he’s about in the building and as a player, showing up early every day and working really hard and helping elevate a program that was a point where Clark [Lea] had done a really good job building it up, but it needed to elevate. I know he was a driving force behind that just talking to all those people. He’s an undrafted rookie free agent, he’s got his foot in the door, do what you want to do with it now.”
“For us, we see it as an opportunity to bring a player in that could potentially be something and that’s what this really is for us,” Minter added.
The Ravens have the top two quarterbacks on their roster established in two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and veteran backup Tyler Huntley, but Pavia should have the opportunity to compete for the third-string quarterback spot on the depth chart. The Ravens also brought in former UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano as an undrafted free agent, who will compete for the role too.
Minter noted that they are not set on a specific number of quarterbacks they want to carry on the roster heading into training camp and the season.
“I think there’s a place for anywhere from three to five [quarterbacks] honestly, especially for the offseason just to make sure we have everything covered,” Minter said. “… I think that could be in flux whether there’s veterans out there we may want to look at or even a couple other rookies.”
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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