Diego Pavia Responds to Critics About His Height, 'My Size Has Been Doubted My Whole Life'

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia dismissed concerns about his height as he makes the leap to the next level.

"Yeah, my size has been doubted my whole life," he said Monday at the Senior Bowl, per AL.com's Creg Stephenson. "I feel like the only thing the NFL cares about is can you win, and I view myself as a winner. I've been fortunate with all these great teams that I've had — we've never had a losing season. So that's something to look forward to, I hope, for the rest of my career, that's how it's going to be."

Pavia measured in at 5'9 7/8" during Senior Bowl evaluations, which is noticeably lower than the height listed on his Vandy bio (6'0").

Football has evolved a lot over the years. The NFL's emphasis on player safety in particular has allowed undersized players to thrive because they aren't subjected to the punishment they would've received on the field decades ago.

Still, the sport hasn't reached a point where sub-6'0" are thriving at the highest level.

Pavia put together an impressive resume during his time at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt, and he ended his college career on a high. In 2025, he threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns as the Commodores won 10 games for the first time in program history.

Diego Pavia Heisman Reel

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But their are countless quarterbacks who excelled in college and struggled when faced with the realities of playing in the NFL.

Pavia is likely to face an uphill battle trying to convince talent evaluators he's an exception to the accepted wisdom about what physical tools are required to be a good QB in the pros.