Diego Pavia was sure he’d get picked by one of the 32 teams during the 2026 NFL Draft. He even laid out team caps on the table to celebrate once his name was called. However, the draft weekend didn’t go as planned, turning into a story of how perception can override production. And just when the dust seemed to settle on his shocking slide, TMZ dropped another bombshell. 

The thing about Diego Pavia is that the talent has never really been the debate. The conversation has always come back to everything else. According to the TMZ report, the former Vanderbilt QB was spotted at Knockouts Gentlemen’s Club in Albuquerque on March 8, just weeks before the draft. 

“Our source says ALL of the money scattered on the stage in the clips came from Pavia… and he remained there until 5 AM,” the outlet reported. “It’s unclear when he showed up at the strip joint … but he was there for at least three hours, according to our witness.”

On its own, that’s not really something of a big deal. He’s only 24. It’s not uncommon for many prospects to party hard before the biggest weekend of their lives. But as a QB already walking into the draft with questions, this wasn’t a wise play.

If you’re talking pure football, Diego Pavia has many reasons to be admired. He just came off a season where he dragged Vanderbilt to a 10-3 record with 338.5 total YPG. And that’s the only time the Commodores won double-digits. His 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns made him a Heisman finalist. And yet, when the draft came and went, he never heard his name called. 

With that reality, Diego Pavia became the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014. One of the biggest suspects in his slide at the time was his frame. The NFL combine measured him just under 5’10, and what he couldn’t control was already a challenge for him. Then there’s the character concern. Even before this TMZ report dropped, he had already turned heads with his unrestrained partying before. 

After finishing second in the Heisman race, Diego Pavia hit it out at a New York club. But he partied loudly for everyone to see his frustration over losing the award to Fernando Mendoza. In the video, he flashed a middle finger next to a sign reading “F— Indiana.” Not long after, he doubled down online with a now-infamous “F— ALL THE VOTERS” post, which he later took responsibility for.

Individually, these moments show a young player just having fun. But collectively, they start forming a pattern. And Diego Pavia’s lack of restraint became a question mark as QBs are judged differently since they’re usually the face of the franchise. Even so, his undrafted status isn’t the end of his NFL dreams, as his visit with the Baltimore Ravens worked out. 

Diego Pavia gets an NFL shot with the Ravens 

According to multiple reports, Baltimore signed Diego Pavia to a three-year deal as an undrafted free agent, locking him in ahead of the rookie minicamp. GM Eric DeCosta didn’t wait around on this one as the Ravens saw enough to bring him in alongside another undrafted QB, Joe Fagnano. This means there’s likely going to be a summer-long battle for a roster spot.

Maybe Baltimore is one of the better landing spots Diego Pavia could’ve hoped for. He’s walking into a QB room led by Lamar Jackson, a 2x MVP who already proved that size and play style don’t make much difference. Still, nothing is guaranteed, and that’s the reality of being a UDFA. So, the question pops again. Was the draft slide about off-field perception or the size? 

Maybe it’s a mix of both. But now Diego Pavia has a shot to prove he’s better than all the unfavorable narrative surrounding him. What he does next will decide whether this story is forgotten or turns into something more important.