Why Diego Pavia didn't get drafted in 2026 NFL Draft after being Heisman finalist at Vanderbilt

1 hour ago 3

Diego Pavia was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Diego Pavia turned Vanderbilt's entire program around.

Diego Pavia didn't get drafted in seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.

How do you add that up? It's a painful one for the Vandy QB, for sure.

2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available

Why didn't Diego Pavia get drafted?

This comes down to a bunch of things, including size, role and attention.

It's not just about his height, but that doesn't help Pavia.

He measured just 5-foot-9 and 7/8 at the Senior Bowl.

For reference, Panthers QB Bryce Young measured 5 feet, 10 inches and one-eighth of an inch at the NFL Combine.

Kyler Murray is also listed at 5-foot-10.

Russell Wilson is 5-foot-11. Drew Brees played in the NFL listed at 6-feet even.

The shortest QBs ever in the NFL appear to be Eddie LeBaron and Davey O'Brien, who were both 5-foot-7 and played a long, long time ago.

BEST DRAFT NAMES: Ephesians Prysock | R Mason Thomas | DeVonta Smith | Zxavian Harris

But it's got to be more than that, even more than his arm strength not being top-notch.

Pavia is a swagged-up quarterback who isn't afraid to speak his mind. That could've hurt his cause, too.

As a starting QB, it's one thing. But do teams want attention on Pavia as a QB2 or QB3?

That's what some thought contributed to Shedeur Sanders' slide to the fifth round a year ago.

Now, it may be part of what knocked Pavia all the way out of the draft.