Diego Pavia always felt like one of those quarterbacks who was going to be much more impressive in college football than in the NFL.
His official height measurement at the Senior Bowl may have just confirmed that.
Pavia measured 5 feet, 9 inches and seven-eighths of an inch, or 5-9.88.
That’s about as short as you’ll get for a modern quarterback.
Official Senior Bowl height/weight for Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia
5’9 7/8”
198 pounds
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) January 26, 2026
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These guys have to see over their big offensive linemen, who can be 6-foot-5 or taller, as well as defensive linemen who can be similar heights.
And it’s not just seeing over them. Defenders have gotten better and better at knocking passes down at the line of scrimmage. The shorter the QB, the more passes can be batted down.
For reference, Panthers QB Bryce Young measured 5 feet, 10 inches and one-eighth of an inch at the NFL Combine.
Kyler Murray is also listed at 5-foot-10.
Russell Wilson is 5-foot-11. Drew Brees played in the NFL listed at 6-feet even.
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The shortest QBs ever in the NFL appear to be Eddie LeBaron and Davey O’Brien, who were both 5-foot-7 and played a long, long time ago.
Pavia has swagger and moxie, and he’ll need that and more to make up for his challenges vertically.
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