Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia almost took his team into the 12-team College Football Playoff field. He made the extra year counted and now he is one of the big quarterbacks going into the 2026 NFL draft.
Pavia participated in the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine held in Indianapolis this week. Here are his Combine Measurements:
Height: 5’ 10’’
Weight: 207 lbs
Arm: 28 5/8’’
Hand: 9 5/8’’
According to Next Gen Stats, his NFL prospect grade is 6.00, which is rated as talent to be above average-backup. His 74 production score and 86 athleticism score came third among quarterbacks. Moreover, his total score of 77 is second among all quarterbacks who participated in the Combine.
Diego Pavia NFL Scouting Profile and Draft Projection
Diego Pavia had a massive season in 2025, finishing with over 3,500 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes, and another 10 rushing scores. He completed over 70% of his passes. He led the Commodores to a school-record 10-win season and finished runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein finds him competitive with good football IQ, dual threat quarterback, impressive third down conversion rate, good in decision making and productive runner.
Meanwhile, his 5-foot-9 ⅞ and just under 200 lbs measurements are significantly shorter for prototypical NFL quarterbacks. When measuring his stats against quality SEC opponents, his performance showed a dip.
“He’s not a bad player at all. Really smart. I don’t know if he can win from the pocket enough but I really love the makeup.” an AFC pro personnel director said about his scouting profile.
“He isn’t explosive or fast, but he’s a force multiplier for the run game, especially near the goal line,” Zierlein wrote. “Efficiency and success rates check out across most situational filters, but he requires a more tailored scheme. Quarterbacks his size rarely make NFL rosters, but his competitiveness should be a plus as long as he’s willing to accept a role as a backup.”
Most draft models have Pavia being selected on Day 3 at best. Many even predict a late-round selection or even going undrafted majorly because of his undersized measurements. Then there are some behavioral concerns as well as he is often involved in controversies for some or the other reasons.
Thus, come draft day, it will be interesting to see if and who selects him in April.
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