Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia aims for NFL as his next stop

Audio By Carbonatix

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Diego Pavia’s confidence, seen by some outsiders as sheer arrogance, has taken him from a junior college in New Mexico to the Southeastern Conference and then New York as the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

His next target? The NFL, where critics point to a key detail putting both Pavia's draft position and chance at pro football in question. His official measurement of 5-foot-10 usually is just too small to play quarterback in the NFL.

Pavia has a short response to anyone thinking he's too short to play in the league.

“I would just say turn on the tape,” Pavia said at the NFL combine, pointing to his two seasons at Vanderbilt. "The SEC and the Big Ten probably have the most guys getting drafted in the first (and) second round. So we’re playing those guys.”

Teammates who played with Pavia agree. Eli Stowers switched to tight end from quarterback while playing with Pavia at New Mexico State before both transferred to Vanderbilt. Stowers said all the talk about the quarterback's height and size boils down to something simple.

“Can the kid play football?” Stowers said at Vanderbilt’s pro day. “And Diego was the best player in college football last year. He led the entire country in total yards. I mean, he won 10 games and got us to the point where we had two winning seasons back-to-back after going 2-10 the year before.”

Pavia was the AP SEC offensive player of the year after leading Vanderbilt to the first 10-win season in school history in 2025. He completed 71% of his passes, finishing with 3,539 yards. He accounted for 4,401 total yards and 39 touchdowns, including an SEC-best 29 passing, and led Vandy with 862 yards rushing and 10 TDs.

He finished second in the country in total offense, averaging 338.5 yards per game.

Stowers credits Pavia for being the reason the Vanderbilt Commodores believed they could win every game they played.

“He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around, the hardest worker I’ve been around,” Stowers said. "He always cares about everyone around his team, around the facility. I mean, you just watch him on film. The kid is an amazing football player, and he will win you games at any level.”

Jordan White snapped the ball to Pavia at Vanderbilt. He said teammates were wowed watching the quarterback on film every day.

“I know every time I snap it to him, a great play’s going to be made no matter what it is,” White said at the pro day.

There's a reason why height, weight and other measurements matter so much to NFL teams, which could make Pavia a late-round pick at best.

Only three quarterbacks 5-10 or shorter have started in the NFL since the league's merger with the AFL in 1970, according to Sportradar. They are Doug Flutie (66 starts), Bryce Young (44) and Kyler Murray (87) — all listed at 5-10.

In Sportradar's database going back to 1948, only one quarterback shorter than 5-10 ever started. That was 5-9 Eddie LeBaron, nicknamed “The Little General,” who started 88 games over 11 NFL seasons between 1952 and 1963.

Nobody recruited Pavia out of high school. He went to junior college, where he won a national championship with New Mexico Military Institute. Next was New Mexico State and finally Vanderbilt in 2024 through the transfer portal. He even went to federal court for an injunction allowing him to play the 2025 season.

With Pavia, the SEC's perennial cellar dweller went 7-6 in his first season, including the Commodores' first win over an AP top-five program. Vanderbilt went 10-3 in 2025 with six SEC wins, including four wins over ranked programs, with the Dores ranked as high as No. 9 — their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1937.

Now 24, Pavia has a resume filled with a combined six seasons and plenty of tape for scouts to watch what he actually does on the field.

“I’ve seen a lot of football,” Pavia said.

Tampa Bay talked with Pavia at the Senior Bowl. He talked with the New York Jets at the NFL combine, where he threw for everyone watching. He visited Carolina on April 7, a person familiar with the stop told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Panthers don't comment on Top 30 visits.

Pavia's confidence stems from what he believes he brings to any team.

“What’s true about me is I’m humble and I get my confidence from my process,” Pavia said. “And if you saw how much I put into this, you would see where I get my confidence for anything. ”

___

AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl