Diego Pavia is this draft's Shedeur Sanders

The 2025 NFL Draft will likely be remembered for one thing above anything else. Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders experienced the greatest draft slide in modern NFL Draft history. Never has the public consensus and the draft results been further apart. 

Throughout the NFL Draft process, there was no draft analyst that projected Sanders on day three. You can count on one hand the number of analysts that slotted Sanders after pick 20. Yet Sanders did not get drafted until pick 144 in the 5th round. 

The public at large had a significant issue with the draft slide. Several narratives were created based on presumed hate for the Sanders family, a conspired agenda as well as much more incendiary ideas. However, there are factors to consider that do not include the word "collusion". 

As several insiders have reported since that draft, there was a belief that Sanders thought he was interviewing teams and not the other way around. Choosing to not participate in pre-Draft processes like the Combine, the frequent references to being "legendary" and trying to speak a top 5 pick into existence just to name a few. 

Pavia did not get the memo 

While it's very possible the Sanders draft slide was the result of the public view and that of NFL front offices not being similar, the league made a statement. A statement Diego Pavia clearly did not receive. 

Pavia is running the same playbook as Shedeur Sanders with less at his disposal. There is one area of grace given to Shedeur that Pavia does not have. Pavia's father is not a Hall of Fame NFL player who has a gold jacket he didn't buy and arguably the greatest 'athlete' the league has ever seen. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders must have been the biggest voice in Shedeur's ear, but that can be explained. Even though the elder Sanders has never confirmed as much, Shedeur was running Deion's pre-Draft playbook. The problem is Shedeur in 2025 is not Deion in 1989. Shedeur did not have the same cards to play that Deion did. 

Pavia running a similar strategy is not only a bad idea, but Pavia doesn't have the aspects to lean on that Shedeur did. Arguments can be made that Shedeur's numbers were the result of a system designed to showcase him. Another aspect Pavia does not have. Regardless, Shedeur had better "QB" numbers and still slid to the fifth round.

Shedeur is 6'2, Pavia is maybe 5'10. Shedeur is a pocket passer; Pavia is a mobile-operate in space quarterback. Shedeur played in the Big 12 on a completely rebuilt roster, Pavia played in the SEC on a fringe contender. Shedeur was confident and groomed for the spotlight, Pavia is confident but also tone deaf to the situation. There are aspects that should have benefitted Sanders when directly compared to Pavia. 

Shedeur's personality and soundbites came from confidence and misunderstanding the situation. Pavia's personality and soundbites come off as borderline toxic. These two prospects are not the same, they aren't even all that similar. However, the factors that led to Shedeur's slide and the factors that seem to signal a slide for Pavia are eerily similar. 

The parallels are uncanny

Shedeur Sanders did not hire an agent. Diego Pavia has not hired an agent. Agents are a necessary evil. It's not the money being thrown away, its relying on a person who has relationships with teams. They are advisors. In either case, an agent could have advised both players how to operate, what to expect and what not to do. 

Shedeur did not participate in the Scouting Combine; Pavia chose to not play in the East/West Shrine Game. Quarterbacks being selective of where they perform is not new. However, the players who make those decisions are advised to, based on an understanding of their realistic draft stock. 

Shedeur said he was the best quarterback in that draft, but he didn't disparage the talents of the other quarterbacks, often saying complimentary things about Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart. Pavia recently claimed on ESPN that he's clearly the best quarterback in this draft, which no draft analyst would agree with. The other mistake Pavia made was to say, "just look at the tape". 

Look at the tape is a common response for draft eligible quarterbacks, but it's not a smart move for all of them. If we look at Pavia's stats, he will rank as the 45th best passing numbers in the modern draft era.

Ten quarterbacks had more yards than Pavia under 4,000. Twenty-one quarterbacks with 4,001-4,999 yards. There are even 14 drafted quarterbacks with at least 5,000 passing yards. "Look at the tape" is not the flex Pavia thinks it is. 

Considering Sanders' approach to the pre-Draft process, with better numbers and better measurables resulted in a 5th round draft pick, there is almost no data to suggest that Pavia would go higher than Sanders. What is likely is Pavia goes much later than 144th in the 5th and potentially could go undrafted. 

Due to Pavia's almost villain like approach, the 5th round should be the best-case scenario. From his Heisman Trophy ceremony meltdown to boldly trying to speak his preferred draft stock into existence, undrafted free agent would be much more logical than to suggest he'll get drafted anywhere in the first two days of the draft. 

Shedeur's draft slide should have been a cautionary tale for every draft prospect that came after him. There is an advisable approach and a wrong approach. Pavia seems determined to execute a worse plan than that of Sanders. It might be too late in the process to change this narrative. If that is true, Pavia could go from the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year to NFL undrafted free agent in a matter of only two years. 

More college football news: 

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• USC asked Heisman winner to unretire jersey several times: 'Absolutely f-ing not'
• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Steve Sarkisian blasts Ohio State players for not going to class
• Ohio State's Ryan Day faces backlash after NFL Combine