From being a hero to having to hustle, things have changed quickly for ex-Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Just months after finishing as a Heisman runner-up, Pavia is no longer walking into a roster spot. Baltimore gave him a rookie minicamp shot, but Canada has already surfaced as a real fallback because Winnipeg holds his CFL negotiating rights.

With NFL free agent considerations, Diego Pavia also gets placed on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ negotiation list in the CFL. This means Winnipeg keeps its name on a special list of up to 45 players they have the exclusive right to talk to and try to sign. These players can be in college, unsigned, or even playing in other leagues like the NFL, so Winnipeg can try to bring them to Canada if it decides to play there.

That is what makes the slide feel so sharp. Pavia became the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014, so the Ravens’ invite looks more like a lifeline than a true landing spot. Now, ESPN’s Pat McAfee also pointed out that if the Ravens thing doesn’t work out for Diego Pavia, as they already have Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, he might even try to go to the UFL.

“So going through the minicamp, having a tryout to earn his spot, it feels like it’s pretty synonymous with his story as a whole,” McAfee said on the AdamSchefter podcast. “If it doesn’t work out with the Ravens, I think he should go finish the UFL season for four weeks here, win a title at the UFL, and then he can get into the NFL still.”

But what cuts deep is that even with his strong college success, Pavia goes undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. As analysts believe, his size was the main reason behind this major dip.

Pavia is a 5-foot-10, and 207 pounds quarterback, so he is smaller than many NFL quarterbacks, and he may have trouble seeing clearly and playing behind big offensive linemen. Plus, there were other areas too where he went weak, like his great passing skills and anticipation. Now, if he gets a chance in the CFL or NFL, he needs to get better at decision-making.

However, he has always proved his skills on the football field. Last season, he was named a second-team All-American, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and he also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

In his final season, he passed for 3,539 yards and completed 70.6% of his throws. He also had 29 touchdown passes and only 8 interceptions. Along with passing, he ran for 862 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns in 13 games. However, his size was not the only reason behind Diego Pavia’s dip.

Diego Pavia’s outrage becomes a concerning part

Diego Pavia’s temper issues created a lot of mess last season. During the Heisman ceremony, when Fernando Mendoza lifted the trophy, Pavia gave the most unexpected reaction. As he took to his Twitter account and said, “F— ALL THE VOTERS.” This kind of behavior might have forced NFL teams to give a second thought to him.

Just like they did with Shedeur Sanders last year and took a No.1 projected QB in the 5th round just because of his “confident interview” during the NFL combine. But it wasn’t all Pavia’s fault. In the spring, Pavia’s quarterback interview with Jon Gruden was misunderstood and taken out of context. A clip spread online and made it look like he does not have an agent, even though an NFL agency has actually been representing him since January.

The clip got a lot of attention, and many fans and some reporters shared it without checking the facts.

Another false story also spread later. A fake post from an account named Shane Tuttle claimed that Pavia cursed out the NFL on Instagram. Even though it comes from a satirical account, it still gets over 2.4 million views and has been widely spread online. However, the post was completely false.

Because of this, many wrong stories about Pavia keep spreading. Public opinion became stronger than reality, and Pavia’s situation shows what is called selective outrage, where people judge him unfairly compared to others. For now, Baltimore is still the first door. But with Winnipeg already in the picture, Pavia’s road to pro football may not stay in America for long.