Has Diego Pavia been picked in NFL draft? Latest on Vanderbilt QB and why he is sliding

Pavia was ranked the No. 12 quarterback on the ESPN analyst's board behind Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck, Garrett Nussemeier, Drew Allar, Cole Payton, Taylen Green, Cade Klubnik, Luke Altmyer, Sawyer Robertson and Haynes King. He is ranked two spots ahead of former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.

Which quarterbacks have already been taken in the 2026 NFL Draft?

• Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, No. 1 overall by the Raiders
• Ty Simpson, Alabama, No. 13 overall by Rams
• Carson Beck, Miami, No. 65 overall by Dolphins
• Drew Allar, Penn State, No. 76 overall by Steelers

How tall is Diego Pavia?

Vanderbilt listed Pavia as 6-foot. However, he was measured at the Senior Bowl as standing 5-9⅞. That will play a large part of Pavia getting drafted.

What were Diego Pavia's college stats?

In 2025, Pavia was 267-for-378 passing for 3,539 yards and an SEC-best 29 touchdowns while also leading the conference in quarterback rating (170.4) passing % (70.6), yards gained per pass attempt (9.4) and adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (9.94). He also ran for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In two seasons at Vanderbilt, Pavia was 444-for-676 for 5,832 yards and 49 touchdowns and 12 interceptions passing in 26 career games. He ran for 1,663 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Explaining why Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia is sliding in 2026 NFL Draft