{"id":632378,"date":"2026-04-27T18:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/632378\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T18:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:01:15","slug":"skip-bayless-makes-stance-clear-on-diego-pavia-following-nfl-draft-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/632378\/","title":{"rendered":"Skip Bayless Makes Stance Clear on Diego Pavia Following NFL Draft Nightmare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diego Pavia had one of the most remarkable college football runs in recent memory. The Vanderbilt quarterback led the Commodores to a 10-2 regular-season record, finished as a Heisman Trophy runner-up, and earned First-Team All-SEC and First-Team All-American honors.<\/p>\n

Then the NFL Draft came and went without his name being called.<\/p>\n

Pavia became the first Heisman Trophy finalist since Jordan Lynch in 2014 to go undrafted, and the situation only got more complicated when he failed to quickly land a standard undrafted free agent deal. He eventually accepted a tryout invitation to the Baltimore Ravens’ rookie minicamp.<\/p>\n

Skip Bayless defends Pavia after Ravens minicamp invite<\/p>\n

The Vanderbilt faithful were not the only ones stunned. Sports media personality Skip Bayless, a Vanderbilt alum himself, took to social media to express his disbelief.<\/p>\n

“I realize his off-field has caused some concerns, but Diego Pavia deserved better than a minicamp tryout with the Ravens,” Bayless wrote. “He did lead the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 6-2 SEC record, did beat Bama the season before, did scare Texas twice.”<\/p>\n

I realize his off-field has caused some concerns, but Diego Pavia deserved better than a minicamp tryout with the Ravens. He did lead the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 6-2 SEC record, did beat Bama the season before, did scare Texas twice.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

This was not a new position for Bayless. <\/p>\n

Back in December, he argued Pavia should have won the Heisman<\/a> over Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, writing that Pavia “deserved this award for his performance on the field, even if his swagger and edge rubbed some voters and viewers the wrong way.”<\/p>\n

Pavia’s size and attitude complicated his draft stock<\/p>\n

NFL scouts acknowledged Pavia’s production but consistently flagged his 5-foot-10 frame as a problem. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein noted that while Pavia “elevates those around him,” he “lacks ideal mechanics” and that “quarterbacks his size rarely make NFL rosters.”<\/p>\n

Off-field concerns added to the friction. An NFC scouting director told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that the “schtick gets old” around Pavia, a reference to his outspoken personality and a social media post following the Heisman ceremony in which he wrote “F-All the voters,” for which he later apologized.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia throws the ball during the Commodores’ pro day. | ANDREW NELLES \/ THE TENNESSEAN \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Despite the noise, his teammate Eli Stowers put it plainly during Vanderbilt’s pro day: “Diego was the best player in college football last year. He led the entire country in total yards.”<\/p>\n

Pavia will now look to prove his doubters wrong during the Ravens’ rookie minicamp.<\/p>\n

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