MOBILE, Ala. — In a new setting, former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia brought a familiar swagger.
In the first practices for this week’s Senior Bowl, Pavia made clear that he’s expecting to continue his career-long flair for defying expectations.
While Pavia’s chances of being drafted in the NFL have been viewed with skepticism, the Heisman Trophy finalist said he’s confident he’ll be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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“A hundred-percent,” he told ESPN. “When has the last SEC player of the year not been drafted? You know what I mean?
“I feel like you go watch, the tape number speaks for [itself]. Everything speaks for themselves. I feel like I’m the best player in the country, and I still believe that. That’s just the ultimate confidence that I’ve had.”
Pavia looked relaxed and loose after his first practice, thanking each member of the NFL Network TV crew — cameramen and behind the scenes folks — who did a post-practice interview with him.
He joked with ESPN about measuring in at 5-foot-8 and 7/8 of an inch — intimating that the person measuring him, Pavia said “kind of screwed me. I was 5-10, I promise.”
He added: “I’m just kidding. But yeah, I just want to show it don’t matter what size you are. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog. You know what I mean? So that’s who I am. That’s what I’ll forever be.”
Pavia will be among the quarterbacks for the National team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. He said his top priority here is to win the game.
Pavia’s path went from JUCO star to resurrecting New Mexico State to leading Vanderbilt to the cusp of this year’s College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt finished 10-3, the first 10-win season in school history. This season, Pavia won the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year after throwing 29 touchdown passes and rushing for 10 more.
Along the way to that feat, Pavia has been overlooked and under-estimated. He wants another chance to prove skeptics wrong.
“What an opportunity,” he said of the Senior Bowl, rattling off the numbers of NFL coaches and general managers who’ll be in attendance this week. “So why not come out and show what I got?”
Pavia said he began working with a quarterback trainer for the first time in his life this off-season as part of his draft preparation. He said working with Darrell Colbert has helped him tighten his footwork.
“I feel like you could see more velocity on my ball,” he said. “My feet are underneath me, and I’m able to launch the ball. More velocity, things like that. My brain is, I feel like, my superpower. So that’s always going to be good. I just got to match my brain with my feet.”
The Senior Bowl game kicks off on Saturday in Mobile (2:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network).
