Diego Pavia has always played with a chip on his shoulder and his journey to the NFL is no different. The former Vanderbilt quarterback is trying to do it one more time with draft aspirations on the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pavia is one of six quarterbacks in Mobile, Alabama this week for the Senior Bowl, an annual showcase that brings scouts, coaches and executives from all 32 NFL teams together ahead of the draft. Pavia is easily the smallest quarterback in the group, measuring 5-foot-9 and 198 pounds at check in on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
But being one the shortest out there has never phased Pavia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy size has been doubted my whole life,\u201d Pavia said Monday via AL.com<\/a>. \u201cI feel like the only thing the NFL cares about is can you win, and I view myself as a winner.\u201d<\/p>\n The resume backs him up. Pavia had no scholarship offers coming out of Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He went on to lead New Mexico Military Institute to a national junior college championship in 2021, then helped New Mexico State reach 10 wins and a Conference USA runner-up finish in 2023.<\/p>\n His rise peaked at Vanderbilt, where he helped turn the SEC\u2019s longtime cellar-dweller into a legitimate winner. The Commodores upset then-No. 1 Alabama during the 2024 season and followed it with a 10-3 campaign that included four wins over ranked opponents in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Along the way, Pavia\u2019s outspoken confidence earned him both critics and admirers. Senior Bowl executive director Drew Fabianich acknowledged Pavia still has questions to answer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe needs to prove he can operate from the pocket or that a team is comfortable building around his legs and RPO game,\u201d Fabianich said. \u201cBut he\u2019s a competitor. He wins, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n