Diego Pavia's Draft Stock, Perception Around NFL Discussed by Insider After Beck, Allar Selections

Four quarterbacks have been selected through the first three rounds of the NFL draft in Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck and Drew Allar.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, remains available. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network gave a rundown of Pavia's draft stock and how teams feel about him on Saturday.

"There is no doubt Diego Pavia does not have NFL size, but he is the same height as Kyler Murray and Bryce Young when they were coming out," Pelissero said.

"It's part of the broader picture, though, with Pavia, who played a ton of college football at the JUCO level, at New Mexico State, then, of course, at Vanderbilt, where he was the Heisman runner-up last year...at Vanderbilt! They won 10 games at Vanderbilt!

"Coaches and executives I've talked to, they like the competitor. Pavia knows football. Coaches have enjoyed talking Xs and Os with him through the process, but this is part of the bigger picture we're talking about, constructing your quarterback room.

"If you're going to take a quarterback late, and Pavia is going to be right on that border of potentially being a late round pick or being a priority free agent, you have to think about the dynamics in a room where he's not walking in as QB1.

"I talked to coaches, executives who said they asked him that. What would it be like for the first time in your life if you're coming in as a backup quarterback? Pava's answer was basically like, 'I'm not coming in as a backup quarterback, I'm coming to take somebody's job.'

"You like that answer. You like the guts on the guy, the charisma that he brings to the table. There's other things, the larger than life personality. Everybody has to get comfortable with the idea of Diego Pavia being a backup quarterback."

In his mind, he's a starter. He's gonna to be an NFL starter. It will be fascinating to see not just when he goes, but who brings him in to their quarterback room at some point, again, today, whether he ends up getting drafted or signed as a free agent."

Pavia led the SEC in completion percentage (70.6), touchdown passes (29), yards per attempt (9.4) and quarterback rating (170.4) this past season.

Pavia certainly has his plusses. For starters, he was the leader of a program that's typically been on the losing end in the SEC and turned it into a winner. Vanderbilt went 2-10 the year before Pavia's arrival before going 7-6 in 2024 and 10-3 last year.

Pavia was productive. He led the SEC in completion percentage (70.6), touchdown passes (29), yards per attempt (9.4) and quarterback rating (170.4) this past season.

Of note, B/R NFL Scout Damian Parson said he is a "plus-level athlete with off-script playmaking prowess whenever protection breaks down. Can create plays out of the pocket as a runner and thrower."

He also credited Pavia's experience, saying he "surpasses the NFL's 25 college starts threshold" and that he has played a lot of football and should be able to pick up an NFL playbook quickly."

As part of his report, Parson noted that Pavia is an "undersized quarterback with poor measurements." Pavia is a shade over 5'10".

He also said, in part, that Parson has "spotty decision-making" and "will test windows that his arm is not equipped to try."

Ultimately, Parson gave Pavia a draftable grade and labeled him as a sixth- or seventh-rounder.