The Baltimore Ravens cut Diego Pavia, a Heisman Trophy runner-up, just before rookie training camp began on July 23, 2026. The decision marked an abrupt end to Pavia’s hopes of competing for a roster spot with the NFL team, highlighting how height concerns that dogged him throughout the draft process ultimately trumped his college accomplishments.
Pavia signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in April after failing to get selected during the seven-round NFL Draft. Despite his standout final season at Vanderbilt, where he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, no team was willing to use a pick on the 5-foot-10 quarterback. This forced him onto the path taken by thousands of college players annually—signing with a team to compete for a spot on the roster as an undrafted free agent.
For an undrafted player, landing with the Ravens seemed like a legitimate opportunity. The team offered a path to compete for the third quarterback role behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and veteran Tyler Huntley. Pavia trained throughout spring practices and the mandatory minicamp, posted to social media in a Ravens uniform, and prepared for what he hoped would be his shot at an NFL career.
His physical measurements, however, created complications from the start. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Pavia measured 5-foot-10 and 1/8 inches. At the Senior Bowl, he measured slightly shorter at 5-foot-9 and 7/8 inches, while Vanderbilt’s official listing put him at 6-foot. The discrepancies highlighted the measurement challenge—scouts questioned which number to trust.
The measurement issue created an unusual moment during combines and practices. His head was roughly at chest level with the center snapping the ball to him—a stark visual reminder of his height compared to NFL standards. The average NFL quarterback stands between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3. Every other quarterback who measured at the combine this year stood at least six feet tall.
Pavia’s height tied him with two other undersized quarterbacks in modern NFL history: Carolina’s Bryce Young and Arizona’s Kyler Murray, both measuring in at 5-foot-10 and 1/8 inches. However, Pavia could become the shortest quarterback to play in an NFL game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 if given the chance—a mark he didn’t reach because the Ravens made their decision before he could appear on the field.
Center Ethan Pocic took Pavia’s place on the 90-player roster. The Ravens’ decision suggests that despite Pavia’s college credentials, the combination of his height and the depth chart ahead of him made keeping him too risky. For Pavia, it means searching for another opportunity or reconsidering his NFL future entirely.