Diego Pavia might just be one of the new villains in the NFL. He had a NSFW-riddled response to Heisman Trophy voters after he finished second in the voting and has essentially bought all the way into the underdog mentality since he’s risen to stardom. That mentality is exactly what these four teams need to get the most out of Pavia. It’s easy to think he should land in Cleveland, but their dysfunction isn’t suited for Pavia.
No, Pavia needs a team that will buy in to him, let him develop and also be ready to let him take over. He doesn’t need to be part of a drastic rebuild, save for landing with a team with structure like the Dolphins. He needs an established organization for him to reach his full potential.
Miami Dolphins
There’s strong belief within the NFL circle that Tua Tagovailoa will be a released when the new league year starts. If that’s the case, the Dolphins could get experimental in finding their next quarterback. One of those solutions could end up being Diego Pavia. I think Pavia has the most to prove in this draft, which is why I think he’d fit well with just about any quarterback-needy team. In Miami, he’d be able to make a mistake and could certainly win a battle against Quinn Ewers.
Miami is at a wild time in which they are entering a rebuilding phase. Is Pavia the best quarterback to rebuild around? Maybe not, but sometimes undersized quarterbacks can figure it out. After all, his numbers were nearly identical to Fernando Mendoza and he’s a runner. With the right coach and system, that would just take his development to the next level. Miami might be the chance for him to prove there’s something worth developing.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have to figure out who Matthew Stafford’s replacement is and the easiest thing to do is turn to the NFL Draft. Ty Simpson would be ideal, Taylen Green would be a fun experiment, but Pavia feels like the home run move here. Sean McVay would allow Pavia to learn for a year behind Stafford. Between that and McVay’s success with an undersized quarterback before (Baker Mayfield), it could work out.
This is the best of both worlds. Pavia gets his chance to be the future starter after waiting a year or so and McVay gets a steal with a quarterback that has a lot to prove.
Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O’Connell might not be interested in adding another young quarterback that could implode yet another promising season. That said, if the Vikings move off of J.J. McCarthy and offload him, they could bring in a seasoned veteran and then draft Pavia as the incumbent, it might just work out. After all, Pavia showed he’s a much better passer than McCarthy is. Like the Rams move, this allows Pavia to sit for a year or two before throwing him into the fire. O’Connell is one of the top coaching options for Pavia as well.
The biggest knock on Pavia is his height. I don’t think there’s as much concern for him as a passer, I just think teams are hesitant to give him a real shot because he’s undersized. He could be similar to Kyler Murray or Mayfield where he can create a lot with his feet while still being able to make plays down the field with his arm.
San Francisco 49ers
If Mac Jones gets traded this offseason, Pavia feels like the perfect replacement for Brock Purdy’s backup. It makes sense for one, Pavia would get a chance to play – Purdy hasn’t had a full healthy season since the 2023 season and has missed at least one game in each of his first four seasons. Pavia would get a chance to learn from one of the best quarterback minds, while getting in-game experience with little pressure. Jones hardly had any pressure to do anything other than not make a mistake and he turned into one of the best backup quarterbacks last season.
Pavia could very well have a similar situation to Jones and even Sam Darnold where he could take a year off, learn as a backup and be ready to start for another franchise. Again, this is best case scenario, but it also feels like Pavia is destined to have some success after being doubted all through college.