When it comes to handicapping the quality of the quarterbacks in April’s NFL Draft, most draft analysts are unanimous in rating Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza as a runaway at No. 1. After Mendoza, who is expected to be selected first overall by Las Vegas, it’s unlikely they say that we’ll see another QB taken in the Top 10.

Which brings us to Saturday’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, and several days of practice in which a group of signal-callers has been trying to complete passes, show their best for the assemblage of NFL scouts and generally say the right things. At the invite-only event, the top QBs in attendance include Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Taylen Green (Arkansas), Luke Altmyer (Illinois), Cole Payton (North Dakota State) and Sawyer Robertson (Baylor).

Diego Pavia: ‘I Want to Be Myself’
Pavia (5-10, 198) led Vanderbilt to a 10-win season, finished second to Fernando Mendoza in voting for the Heisman Trophy, was the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-SEC, and was named a second team All-American by The Associated Press.

Asked by the NFL Network crew who he tries to model his game after, Pavia mentioned Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield.

“And so that’s like who I am, but I only want to be known as Diego Pavia,” he said. “I want to be myself, self-made.”

In his second season with the Commodores after two years with New Mexico State, Pavia threw for 3,539 yards, hitting on 70.6 percent of his passes (267 of 378) for 20 TDs and 4 INT. He also ran for 862 yards and 10 TDs.

He’s an acknowledged leader, though some experts have questioned his ability to excel in the NFL at only 5-10. Senior Bowl executive director Drew Fabianich is not among those people.

“He’s a winner, I mean, he’s got that,” Fabianich said. “He’s got that A-type personality. I mean, when he walks in the room you know he’s a leader. And, you know the thing he said yesterday, which is true, he said, ‘I just win.’ And he does. I mean, everywhere he’s ever been, I mean New Mexico State, Vanderbilt.”

He added: “They’re just going to have to figure out whether you’re going to change an offense and use his legs, use a lot more RPOs, you know, and decide what your philosophy is on offense. Because, you know, it’s hard as a 5-10 quarterback to see over the line of scrimmage. He’s not going to be a pocket passer. You’re not going to be a five-step, seven-step play-action guy. You’re just not. So that’s more of a philosophy.”