Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Diego Pavia landed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
- The Heisman finalist already faced an uphill battle to win a spot on the Ravens roster.
- Now, with five QBs on the Ravens roster under contract, Pavia's chances are dwindling.
Diego Pavia was a fun story as a college quarterback. It’s hard to win at Vanderbilt, but to the self-assured signal-caller’s credit, he found a way to legitimize the Commodores. A Heisman Trophy finalist, Pavia helped the longtime SEC doormat to the precipice of the College Football Playoff last season. An NFL career, though, will be even more of an uphill climb. Standing 5-foot-10, with mechanics that need refining and an average arm, he wasn't selected in last month’s 2026 NFL Draft, but latched on with the Baltimore Ravens.
First-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke about Pavia’s opportunity, saying that, early on, “it’s just so much learning, so much about just kind of getting acclimated to how we operate, getting acclimated, especially to a new offense for a quarterback’s perspective. … And so now he’s in the door, and it’s like, ‘Show us what you can do, let the chips fall where they may.’”
Pavia's fight for Ravens QB3 just got a whole lot harder
Pavia’s odds got slimmer on Monday, when Minter’s team tossed Skylar Thompson into the group of passers behind Lamar Jackson. It already included Tyler Huntley and Joe Fagnano, too.
Pavia probably wasn’t thrilled with the news because, well, NFL teams don’t keep five quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Even four is a stretch.
Huntley is the leader in the clubhouse to hold Jackson’s clipboard. He’s spent five campaigns in the same meeting room with the two-time Associated Press NFL MVP, appearing in 25 games for the Ravens and starting 11. He won both starts he made for Baltimore last season, completing 33-of-42 pass attempts for 293 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Thompson has a four-season head start with grasping NFL offenses. He even started a playoff game for the Miami Dolphins in 2023 while Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined.
While rookie Will Howard was sidelined with a broken pinky finger, Thompson impressed during the preseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, hitting the mark on 41 of 56 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns, an interception and a league-best 116.5 passer rating. The body of work wasn’t enough to supplant Mason Rudolph as Aaron Rodgers’ understudy, however.
Minter and the Ravens bringing Thompson into the fold makes it an even steeper climb for Pavia to stick around. While Pavia has defied odds before — climbing from junior college to New Mexico State to an SEC program — he has a tough task in front of him, especially at the position that values know-how more than any other.
Pavia will need to scratch and claw for a chance that extends past training camp. He has a competitive mindset, having pushed back against size doubts during his appearance on “Gruden’s QB Class” last month.
“The guys that I’m playing every single Saturday are the guys that you’re drafting (in the) first round, so why does 5-10 really even matter?” Pavia asserted. “Go watch the tape.”
It’s much more likely Pavia winds up behind center for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions than it is that he becomes the next Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl champion and potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer who stands 5-foot-11.
Pavia better get up to speed quickly or risk being left behind altogether.
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