Deion Sanders has sent a message of support to Diego Pavia after the Vanderbilt quarterback was brutally snubbed during last week's NFL Draft. The controversial signal-caller was overlooked by all 32 teams across three days, making him the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted since 2014.
To compound Pavia's misery, he also did not receive a contract offer as an undrafted rookie free agent once the draft concluded. His draft experience mirrored the embarrassment Shedeur Sanders faced last year, when he had to wait until the fifth round before being selected by the Cleveland Browns.
Deion Sanders, the NFL icon and Colorado Buffaloes head coach, took to social media to send a heartfelt message to Pavia. He posted on X: '@diegopavia02 I BELIEVE IN YOU MY MAN! Stay strong and don’t let up. Show them what time it is and never allow them to forget. Much Love & God bless you.'
Although Pavia's NFL career appears to be hanging by a thread, there was some relief on Sunday night. The 24-year-old was handed a lifeline when it emerged that the Baltimore Ravens had extended an invitation to participate in their rookie minicamp next weekend. The minicamp does not guarantee Pavia a spot on the Ravens' roster, but it does offer him a chance at redemption.
Unlike his Heisman rival Fernando Mendoza, who was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick, Pavia was never expected to be a top selection. Pavia threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns during a breakout 2025 season. Furthermore, he was a four-year starter across two programs, completing 62.2 percent of his passes in 53 career games for 10,255 yards with 88 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
Yet, there had been concerns over his size, with Pavia only standing at 5-foot-10 and 203 pounds. He also has a history of controversy, something which NFL general managers may have been wary of. Following his Heisman loss, Pavia re-posted an Instagram story of himself and his offensive line captioned 'F-ALL THE VOTERS, BUT.....FAMILY FOR LIFE.' He also reposted comments from Skip Bayless on social media, stating that the Vanderbilt signal-caller deserved the award and seemingly throwing a jab at Mendoza's six-minute acceptance speech.
Pavia was later photographed at a club with a sign reading 'F*** Indiana' in his section. The Heisman runner-up later apologized. He also raised eyebrows this spring in a viral interview with Jon Gruden when he appeared to reveal that he had not hired an agent for the pre-draft process. 'I didn't think it was fair that someone was going to represent me and take 5 to 10 percent,' Pavia told Gruden. 'Ain't nobody taking my money.'
He even had to fight for an extra sixth year of college eligibility, suing the NCAA to be able to continue at Vanderbilt. He claimed the organization violated antitrust law by counting his time in JUCO toward his NCAA eligibility clock, thereby affecting his ability to earn money from his name, image and likeness. Ultimately, a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction that allowed Pavia to play a sixth season of college football.
It now remains to be seen if he will be granted a second shot at the NFL. Even if he does earn a spot on the Ravens' roster, he will have to settle for a place out of the spotlight in the quarterback room, playing backup to starter Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
