The NFL transition isn't going smoothly for Diego Pavia. After being snubbed in the draft and signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens, the two-time Vanderbilt star is already getting roasted by fans who saw footage from his first rookie minicamp.
Video clips circulating on social media show Pavia working through snap drills at the Ravens' facility—and the internet wasted no time pointing out his lack of urgency and, more notably, his frame. Standing well under the typical NFL quarterback height, Pavia looked more like a high school prospect than a Heisman runner-up.
“Not even being funny, he built like a 15 year old but ima wish him the best out there and hopefully he lands a spot,” one fan wrote on X. Another joked, “Savannah Bananas are calling his name.” The Savannah Bananas are a barnstorming baseball team known for entertainment, not NFL competition.
Other comments piled on: “Sheesh bro is tiny,” “Built like a fullback lol,” and “Guy thought he was going to be a superstar.” One fan even asked, “Did he frost his hair..?” The mockery comes just weeks after Pavia drew headlines for claiming he's better than Lamar Jackson, the Ravens' superstar quarterback.
Pavia's college résumé is undeniably impressive. In 2024, he transferred to Vanderbilt and immediately turned the Commodores into a competitive SEC team, throwing for 2,293 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just four interceptions while rushing for 801 yards and eight scores. He followed that with an even bigger 2025 campaign: 3,539 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 862 rushing yards with 10 more touchdowns. That performance earned him SEC Offensive Player of the Year and a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Yet size and speed concerns have dogged him since the draft. Many analysts believed his 6-foot frame and average arm strength would limit his NFL potential, and the Ravens signed him as an undrafted free agent after no team selected him. Pavia's journey from college star to NFL underdog has been well-documented, with party photos adding drama and Skip Bayless blasting teams for passing on him.
Rookie minicamp is just the first step, and many undrafted players have carved out NFL careers. But for Pavia, the road ahead looks steep. As one fan bluntly put it: “They won’t stop asking the rookies about Pavia and this dude is gonna get cut by week 1.”
