After all he did at Vanderbilt, Diego Pavia isn’t supposed to be fighting for his football life weeks before the 2026 NFL Draft. Yet here he is anyway feeling a little ticked off. The reason is because a fantasy football creator slapped a “projected undrafted free agent” tag on his name. The 24-year-old QB didn’t let it slip and he fired back with a chip on his shoulder.

“who you telling?” Diego Pavia shot back on X. “sh*t don’t make no sense. but just need a opportunity- tell em @malkikawa”

The reason is in the post itself. We’re talking about seasons since 2019 where QBs averaged over 270 passing yards and 75 rushing yards per game in a Power Conference. That list includes elite names like Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, and Jayden Daniels. Every single one of them were first- or second-round NFL Draft picks. 

For instance, Jalen Hurts rose from Alabama starter to Oklahoma standout, delivering a historic 2019 dual-threat season. He was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles and became a Super Bowl MVP with a $225 million deal. And then there’s Diego Pavia, sitting at the bottom of that same list with a projected UDFA tag. It feels like he’s getting robbed in broad daylight.

That disconnect is exactly what he’s fighting against. Diego Pavia tagged his agent Malki Kawa, First Round Management CEO, who did his job as he added a couple of his own takes on X. 

In one post, Kawa wrote, “I mean if his height scares you, watch some of these guys film. That should scare you.” 

Then he followed up with “1 shot is all we need… diego will make the rest pay.” 

This undrafted projection raises eyebrows because 3,539 passing yards and 862 rushing yards are elite numbers. Diego Pavia also scored 39 times and ended with a 87.3 QBR. He dragged Vanderbilt out of irrelevance and into national relevance, finishing second in both PFF grade (92.2) and Heisman voting. And yet, here we are. The pushback from scouts and analysts isn’t subtle either. And it’s a repetitive circle back to one number – 5’9”.

That’s what Diego Pavia measured at the Senior Bowl. And that’s the biggest reason why NFL teams could be apprehensive. ESPN’s Jordan called him an “extreme outlier” whose size could push him off draft boards entirely. But the former Commodores QB isn’t asking to be handed anything. All he’s asking is one shot to prove himself because he’s a playmaker. Vanderbilt averaged an FBS-leading 8.8 yards per dropback and 9.4 yards per attempt with him leading. But as far as proving himself goes, he didn’t exactly do that on Pro Day. 

Diego Pavia couldn’t fully deliver at Vanderbilt Pro Day 

Vanderbilt’s Pro Day on March 20 didn’t go in favor of Diego Pavia. More than four hours had passed by the time he stepped up to throw. So the crowd was losing energy and the attention of scouts became divided. To make matters worse, the performance didn’t sell enough to entice people back. The QB was sharp underneath and decisive in the short game. But the deep ball is where his inconsistency got exposed.

Out of 12 charted deep throws, only three were on time and on target. Five sailed long while four died short. And one particularly ambitious off-platform throw hung in the air for too long that the energy shifted. Right now, Diego Pavia sits as the 262nd-ranked prospect and the 12th QB in the class. NFL.com pegs him as an average backup while ESPN hasn’t even fully graded him yet.

But this is the reality of the NFL Draft. The past matters but it’s about what teams believe you can be. And that’s the fight Diego Pavia is in right now. And maybe if someone gives him that one shot he keeps talking about, chances are it could be a turnaround.