While he was a 2025 Heisman finalist, former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia became the first Heisman finalist since 2014 to not be drafted. Pavia proved to be one of college football's most polarizing figures, and many viewers drew comparisons to Johnny Manziel. The quarterback admitted that Manziel actually reached out to him ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft Barclay Plager Jersey . The former Commodore is far from towering over his offensive line, standing at just over 5-foot-10. He also did not complete many of the NFL Combine events, as he opted to participate in the majority of events at Vanderbilt's Pro Day. Here's a look at some reasons that may have contributed to Pavia's undrafted status. 2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: | | Why did Diego Pavia go undrafted? A wide variety of reasons could have contributed to Pavia's phone being silent on draft weekend. First, , Pavia measures at 5-foot-10 and one-eighth of an inch. That would make Pavia one of the shortest QBs in the NFL. If Pavia were to be signed as an undrafted free agent and appear in an NFL game, he would tie Doug Flutie, Joe Hamilton, Kyler Murray, and Bryce Young as the shortest-listed pa sers in league history. All four of those players were also listed as 5-foot-10. Pavia did not record a 40-yard time at this year's combine. Along with this, he didn't perform in the vertical or broad jump events. He did these events at Vanderbilt's Pro Day. He exclusively threw pa ses at the combine. Here are a couple of his throws. Diego Pavia mi sed bad on the first out route, but cleaned it up on the second one NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) The former Vanderbilt quarterback has also had his fair share of viral moments on social media. One quote that was widely circulated came at the combine, where Pavia joked that his brain was not yet fully developed. His personality did manage to rub some fans the wrong way, even if the joke was harmle s. Coach Lea always pre sed that your frontal lobe isnt fully developed til youre 25, and I just turned 24," Pavia said. "So, I've got like 360 more days to go. QB Diego Pavia on his maturity, via : Coach Lea always pre sed that your frontal lobe isnt fully developed til youre 25, and I just turned 24 so Ive got like 365 days to go. Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) Despite these circumstances, Pavia was expecting to be drafted at some point this year. The setup for Diego Pavias draft party. We will see where the Vanderbilt QB goes. Julian Mininsohn (@JMininsohn) MORE: Last Heisman finalist to go undrafted? The last Heisman finalist to go undrafted was Jordan Lynch. The formerNorthern Illinois quarterback later signed with the as an undrafted free agent, but was later waived in May 2014. Here are Lynch's stats from his four-year collegiate career, . Season Games CMP% Pa s Yds TDs Int 2010 9 66.7% 13 1 0 2011 13 75.0% 166 1 0 2012 14 60.2% 3,138 25 6 2013 14 62.6% 2,892 24 8 TOTAL/Avg 50 61.8% 6,209 51 14 Diego Pavia scouting report Pavia measures at 5-foot-10 and one-eighth of an inch, according to the NFL. At Vanderbilt's Pro Day, the QB had a 4.76 40-yard time. It is unclear how he did in the vertical and broad jump events at his Pro Day. Here are some of Pavia's other measurements from the combine. Diego Pavia (QB, Vanderbilt) Height: 5'10" Weight: 207 Arm Length: 28 5/8" Hand Size: 9 5/8" The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) MORE: What's next for Diego Pavia? It is still po sible to Pavia to suit up and play football profe sionally. First, the quarterback can still sign with a team after the draft as an unrestricted free-agent. Former Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch did this in 2014. This seems like the QB's most likely route. Another route Pavia could go is playing in the Canadian Football League or the United Football League. While these leagues don't have the same name value as the NFL, they are still profe sional football leagues. For now, Pavia will have to take a non-traditional path into the NFL. MORE: Aleksanteri Kaskimaki Jersey