Diego Pavia Goes Undrafted In 2026 NFL Draft

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Apr 25, 2026 7:40 PM ET

Finishing 2025 as the top QB in the SEC with the second-most Heisman Trophy votes just wasn't enough to get Diego Pavia's name called in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The draft has concluded and despite holding a draft party at his home, Diego Pavia went all 257 picks without hearing his name called. While his agent is likely working the phones and hoping to get him an undrafted free agency contract, it says a lot that even in a year of lackluster QB prospects that he simply wasn't seen as worth using a draft pick on.

Worse still, by going undrafted he becomes the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted since 2014.

Diego Pavia becomes the first Heisman finalist since 2014 to go undrafted pic.twitter.com/e4h9v3AZee
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 25, 2026

The Ridicule Begins

Fans have been ripping Pavia to shreds on social media over his inability to get drafted:

"And with that, Diego Pavia can (hopefully) fade into oblivion," one user declared.

"Scouts saw Diego Pavia lose to 'Iowa' and realized he wasn’t NFL material," another mocked.

"Just warms my soul knowing not a single NFL team spent draft capital on Diego Pavia," a third remarked.

Two major sticking points clearly must have kept Pavia off the NFL Draft boards. The biggest and perhaps most obvious is his measurables. He measured in at just over 5-foot-10 at the NFL Scouting Combine and didn't exactly showcase great speed in the 40-yard dash.

Another issue that became a major factor all the way back in the college football season was his attitude. Fans and even executives became increasingly frustrated by some of Pavia's antics and immature behavior. For a position that necessitates one to be the face of an organization when the time comes, that must have been something that NFL teams just couldn't overlook.

Pavia will find work eventually and will probably sign as an undrafted free agent in the coming hours. But today will likely serve as a massive blow to his ego - and his chances of playing on Sundays in the fall.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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