It didn’t take long for Diego Pavia to hear his name again. After a shocking draft snub, the Heisman finalist Diego Pavia accepted the invitation to the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp,  signaling that the league hadn’t completely turned its back on him.

Per Adam Schefter on X, the polarizing former Vanderbilt Commodores football quarterback has an invite.

“Vanderbilt undrafted free agent QB Diego Pavia accepted an invitation to next weekend’s minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens, per source.”

During the 2026 NFL Draft, Pavia remained undrafted. This was attributed quite a lot to his personality. While his fiery confidence fueled Vanderbilt’s upsets, scouts worried about his maturity, as per multiple sources, including TMZ Sports. Publicly blasting Heisman voters and his polarizing "me-against-the-world" persona led many teams to view him as a potential locker-room distraction.

Although he does not have a sure spot in the Ravens roster, this is surely going to help him break through in the 2026 NFL season. 

Pavia started his collegiate career in 2022 at New Mexico State Aggies and later transferred to the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2024. During his 2025 collegiate season, he played in 13 games while throwing for 3,539 yards and scoring his highest career 29 touchdowns, per Sports Reference. 

He sits at a PFF grade of 92.3, ranked 4th among 302 qualified quarterbacks. Pavia won the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award for best upperclassman quarterback.

Of course, Lamar Jackson, the two-time MVP quarterback, is cemented as the team’s starting quarterback.

But perhaps Pavia can stand out enough during the rookie minicamp to earn an invitation to training camp this summer.

The Sanders Family Came in Support of Pavia

After 12 years, Pavia is another Heisman finalist who went undrafted during the NFL Drafts. Previously, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. 

Many voices came in his support, among them were Deion Sanders and his son, who quickly took a stand for Diego Pavia and shared an emotional post on his X. 

“I BELIEVE IN YOU, MY MAN! Stay strong and don’t let up,” Sanders said. “ Show them what time it is and never allow them to forget. Much Love & God bless you.”

Also, his son, Deion Jr., tweeted a message to Pavia on Saturday, “Make them regret it.”

Pavia never played for Sanders, but the coach knows what it’s like to experience draft disappointment, given his own son, Shilo Sanders, went undrafted back in 2025.

Do you think the Ravens will be the new home for Pavia?

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Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi