Undrafted Pavia to Ravens: Underdog's NFL Journey

0:00It's April 26th. This is NFL News Today, your AI-powered source for everything in FL. Diego Pavia, the Heisman finalist from Vanderbilt, went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft after three long days of waiting. No team grabbed him right away, and even as other quarterback signed as free agents, he held out. Now he's headed to the Baltimore Ravens rookie minicamp next weekend, starting May 2nd, on an invite straight from Adam Schefter. Pavia's path started rough-no Division I football scholarships, despite a wrestling offer from Nebraska after winning state titles in high school. He grinded through junior college at New Mexico Military Institute, won a national title there, then lit it up at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. Last year, he threw for over 3,500 yards, led the SEC and key stats, ran for 862 more, and took bandy too. Their first ten wins season ever. Fans and pundits buzzed when he finished 2nd to Fernando Mendoza in the Heisman race,

1:01the first finalist undrafted since 2014. He vented raw emotion on social media right after, calling out voters, but owned it quick with a full apology, saying it was just his competitive fire. Talking, he doubled down on Gurdon's podcast, respecting the winner and the process. The Ravens drafted 11 players and signed 15 undrafted free agents, but zero quarterbacks among them. The rosters thin at the spot with just the Mar Jackson and Snoop Huntly, so Pavia gets a real shot to impress a mid-day rookie group. Gurdon even compared him to Taysum Hill, and Pavia's all-in whatever it takes to get on the field and win. Pavia's got that underdog grit from Albuquerque to NFL practice fields, next weekend could spark the start of something big if he balls out.