Diego Pavia is counting on a growth spurt.
OK, the 24-year-old, 5-foot-9 quarterback probably isn’t going to reach NFL height preferences at this point. But the Vanderbilt star can mature and get past things like writing, “F-ALL THE VOTERS,” after he finished second to Fernando Mendoza in a runway Heisman Trophy vote.
“Coach (Clark) Lea always pressed that your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed until you’re 25,” Pavia quipped Friday at the NFL Combine, according to MSG Network’s Madelyn Burke, “and I just turned 24… so I’ve got like 365 days to go.”
Pavia is trying to beat the odds as the shortest NFL quarterback of the decade. Bryce Young and Kyler Murray – both of whom measured slightly over 5-foot-10 – were No. 1 overall picks, while Pavia is hoping that a team will use a late-round pick on him despite his size.
“I’m a man on a mission,” Pavia said. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was a kid, so super excited for this opportunity. And super grateful for it, too.”
Doubters are nothing new for Pavia, who began his career at New Mexico Military Institute for two seasons, transferred to New Mexico State for two seasons and then found stardom over two seasons leading Vanderbilt to new heights in the SEC with a contagiously passionate playing style.
Pavia completed 70.6 percent of his passes and threw for 29 touchdowns last season as the Commodores cracked the Top 10 in the AP poll and finished 10-3.
“My ‘why’ is my mom,” Pavia said. “What drives me is that, as a little kid, you don’t grow up with a lot, and so you want more for yourself. That’s what drives my passion to be here.”
Pavia said that he met with the Jets at the NFL Combine. He fits their underdog mentality.
“I feel like I’m going to carry that chip on my shoulder wherever I go,” Pavia said. “Whatever team gets me is going to get a hard worker, a heck of a teammate. When my number is called, I’ll be ready.”
Pavia apologized to the voters and to Mendoza on social media one day after the Heisman ceremony.
