4 reasons why Diego Pavia is sliding in 2026 NFL Draft

Only four players 5-foot-10 and under have started at QB since the AFL-NFL merger: Doug Flutie, Joe Hamilton, Murray and Bryce Young. If Pavia were to carve out a starting career, he'd be a historic outlier from a size perspective.

Age

After six college seasons, Pavia is entering the NFL at age 24. The NFL often prefers younger players who aren't as maxed out physically, while Pavia would be 28 and possibly exiting his athletic prime by the end of his rookie contract. That also seems to be one of the reasons why LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, another 24-year-old QB prospect, has slid to Day 3.

Maturity

Pavia is never afraid to speak his mind, and not every team will be comfortable with that -- particularly if he's a backup. He posted "F all the voters" on his Instagram Story after finishing behind Mendoza in Heisman voting, offered Theo Von a date with his mom if Vanderbilt could beat South Carolina, and was caught urinating on rival New Mexico's practice field in 2023.

Arm talent

While Pavia is accurate and a quick-processor on short to intermediate throws, his deep balls are simply not NFL-calibre. Defenses can shrink the field on Pavia, bringing more defenders into the box to shut down the run game while forcing him to throw the long ball. Pavia will have to prove he can make them pay, but he didn't exhibit the ability to do so in college.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Did Diego Pavia get drafted? 4 reasons why Vanderbilt QB is dropping