INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback Diego Pavia wasn’t fazed by criticism at Vanderbilt, and 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 issues down throughout the NFL mix, the place he mentioned he’ll throw for scouts on Saturday.
“One factor about me is I do not care what folks take into consideration me,” mentioned Pavia, who led the Commodores to a 10-3 report, the primary 10-win season at school historical past.
Criticism of him, he mentioned, is the product of the media producing what he described as “clickbait.”
However Pavia definitely grew to become 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 subject an apology after posting a message that included “F-All THE VOTERS” on social media.
However Pavia mentioned his demeanor and strategy are what made him a superb chief at Vanderbilt. And his confidence, he mentioned, comes from being continually counted out in life, together with when he began his profession in junior faculty.
That has turned out to be a credit score to him in his quest to make it within the NFL, he mentioned.
“I really feel like a variety of groups love the tenacity, the combat,” he mentioned. “The lifetime of an underdog, that is for certain. And, so, they ask questions. However you return, you take a look at my report, ain’t nothing on my report.”
He added, “I simply need everybody to know what’s true about me is I am humble and I get my confidence from my course of. And when you noticed how a lot I put into this, you’ll see the place I get my confidence.”
One other factor NFL groups might want to weigh is Pavia’s lack of measurement. He measures beneath 5-foot-10, a giant detriment on the place within the NFL. However enjoying at that measurement towards elite competitors is nothing new, he mentioned.
“I might simply say activate the tape,” Pavia mentioned. “It isn’t like we’re not enjoying these guys which can be going first-round, second-round [picks] on Saturdays within the SEC. So, the SEC and the Huge Ten most likely have probably the most guys getting drafted within the first, second spherical. So, we’re enjoying these guys and ain’t nothing going to vary.”
