Diego Pavia's Top Landing Spots After Day 1 of 2026 NFL Draft

The first round of the NFL draft is behind us, and as expected, not many quarterbacks are off the board, with just Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders) and Ty Simpson (No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams) selected.

So, where does that leave a player like Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia? What team might be a good fit for the exciting quarterback?

Let's play matchmaker.

Miami Dolphins

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Malik Willis is likely to be given a long runway after the Miami Dolphins signed him to a three-year, $67.5 million deal this offseason. But he's also unproven, and Miami may want more of a contingency plan beyond just Quinn Ewers.

Pavia splits the difference nicely. He's not the sort of player who fans will be necessarily be clamoring to see in action, adding pressure on Willis if he struggles out the gate (think what the Cleveland Browns dealt with last season with Shedeur Sanders), but he's still an intriguing developmental project. He also should be able to run the type of offense the Dolphins install for Willis.

As a day-three pick, Pavia would make sense for the Dolphins.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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One would imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers will address the quarterback position at this draft, with Aaron Rodgers only a short-term solution (if he even returns for the 2026 season). Players like Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar or Carson Beck are better options in that regard, but if the Steelers wait until later in the draft, Pavia would be an intriguing lottery ticket for them.

Arizona Cardinals

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Basically every quarterback in the draft would make sense for an Arizona Cardinals team that projects to have Jacoby Brissett as its starter. Like Pittsburgh, the Cardinals should probably address the position earlier in the draft than Pavia is likely to be selected, but he should be an option for the team if they wait.

New York Jets

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You know the drill by now—the New York Jets need a long-term solution at quarterback, and there are a number of more enticing options available than Pavia. But New York has Geno Smith in place for the time being and could choose to focus on their many other needs in the middle rounds.

Pavia in New York would certainly be fun.

Atlanta Falcons

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We have no real idea if either Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa is a legitimate long-term option at quarterback for an Atlanta Falcons team that otherwise has a win-now roster. Penix only has 12 starts in his career (and hasn't exactly looked convincing in them) and Tagovailoa hasn't looked like a viable starter for a few seasons now.

Using a Day 2 pick on a quarterback wouldn't make a ton of sense for Atlanta, but waiting and taking on a developmental project like Pavia would.