Vanderbilt’s QB Diego Pavia didn’t have a fairy tale ending to his college football career. However, the Heisman finalist sets his eyes on the Pro League, wishing he could play for the Las Vegas Raiders to play alongside Maxx Crosby. However, the latest mock draft suggests that the Raiders could end up with a B1G sophomore over Pavia.

ESPN released an NFL mock draft projecting the first-round picks of each team. While discussing the projected pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, ESPN’s Field Yates named Oregon’s QB Dante Moore over Diego Pavia.

He said that Dante Moore set the hype among the scouts long ago, since the first five games he started for UCLA in 2023. The 6-foot-3 had a breakout 2025 season, showcasing his strong functional mobility and high-level downfield accuracy. He finished the year with 2,733 passing yards, cementing his rise as one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country. He also has the third-best completion percentage in the FBS with 72.5%. Besides that, his ability to perform under pressure made him a very creative quarterback overall.

However, Moore is in his sophomore year and hasn’t declared himself for the 2026 NFL Draft. The report also noted that there’s little doubt that he would go very high if he enters the draft this coming fall.

Yates made it clear that the Raiders will be in active search for a starting quarterback, and Moore could be the perfect fit for the role. Raiders’ QB Geno Smith has been facing interception issues, having thrown 14 interceptions this season, and has the second-lowest QBR with 32.5.

Whereas Moore, with a 77.8 QBR and just 6 interceptions, could be the centerpiece of the Raiders’ offense, pairing with Brock Bowers in the receiver end and RB Ashton Jeanty rushing down the field.

It’s a disappointing update for Diego Pavia. But if you look deeper, Pavia has better numbers and QBR than Dante Moore. More than that, he’s a Heisman candidate. So let’s take a look at what the NFL scouting report thinks of the Vanderbilt senior.

Diego Pavia NFL scouting report

The “Pavia magic” in the 2025 season made Vanderbilt’s QB a more serious NFL prospect. Pavia accounted for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, with a 4th-best QBR of 87.7, making him the first Heisman finalist for the Commodores.

Despite an impressive collegiate senior year, the New Mexico native is still considered a third-day pick, and some even project him as a priority free agent. One of the biggest reasons for the contrasting reports is his height. Pavia, at 5-foot-10, is considered undersized, and most believe that it could affect the visibility over the opponent’s defense.

As per NFL Draft Buzz’s scouting report, Vanderbilt star’s “height limitations could create significant visibility issues over NFL defensive lines and complicate throwing lanes in traffic and raise serious durability concerns against NFL-caliber pass rushers who can overpower him consistently.”

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However, Bryce Young, whom the Carolina Panthers selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, is the same height as Pavia and has completed his third season as a QB, leading the team to a 7-5 record. So, nothing is impossible in the NFL Draft until the official calls are made during the drafting season.