Polarizing QB Diego Pavia not toning things down at combine
INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback Diego Pavia wasn’t fazed by criticism at Vanderbiltand it would not seem that is going to vary now that he is on the NFL’s doorstep.
The NFL draft prospect hasn’t toned things down through the NFL combine, the place he stated he’ll throw for scouts on Saturday.
“One thing about me is I don’t care what people think about me,” stated Pavia, who led the Commodores to a 10-3 document, the primary 10-win season in class historical past.
Criticism of him, he stated, is the product of the media producing what he described as “clickbait.”
But Pavia definitely turned a polarizing determine in 2025, partly due to his exuberance and partly due to his response to the Heisman Trophy balloting. The Heisman runner-up needed to situation an apology after posting a message that included “F-All THE VOTERS” on social media.
But Pavia stated his need and strategy are what made him a very good chief at Vanderbilt. And his confidence, he stated, comes from being continually counted out in life, together with when he began his profession in junior school.
That has turned out to be a credit score to him in his quest to make it within the NFL, he stated.
“I feel like a lot of teams love the tenacity, the fight,” he stated. “The life of an underdog, that’s for sure. And, so, they ask questions. But you go back, you look at my record, ain’t nothing on my record.”
He added, “I just want everyone to know what’s true about me is I’m humble and I get my confidence from my process. And if you saw how much I put into this, you would see where I get my confidence.”
Another factor NFL groups might want to weigh is Pavia’s lack of dimension. He measures below 5-foot-10, an enormous detriment to the place within the NFL. But taking part in at that dimension towards elite competitors is nothing new, he stated.
“I would just say turn on the tape,” Pavia stated. “It’s not like we’re not playing these guys that are going first-round, second-round [picks] on Saturdays in the SEC. So, the SEC and the Big Ten probably have the most guys getting drafted in the first, second round. So, we’re playing those guys and ain’t nothing going to change.”
