Scouting report
Pavia is the kind of player you wish could just play college ball forever. He’s the underdog everyone tunes in to see topple giants when his team has no business doing so. But when it comes to his pro projection, he’ll likely be viewed as a big underdog once again.
He was a two-star quarterback from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who competed in wrestling, where he was a state champion, as well as baseball and football. He received no scholarship offers from any NCAA Division I school, and only two Division II schools — Western Colorado and Western New Mexico — offered him a chance to play quarterback. So he committed to play JUCO football at New Mexico Military Institute.
He played two years at NMMI, winning an NJCAA national championship in 2021, then transferred to New Mexico State, where he won the 2023 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award. He transferred to Vanderbilt in 2024, starting 13 games and earning SEC Newcomer of the Year honors. He returned in 2025 and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
His smaller size, under 5-foot-10, is almost nonexistent in the NFL outside of Kyler Murray and Bryce Young — but he isn’t the runner Murray is and isn’t the passer Bryce was at Alabama. What he does have going for him is experience as an RPO and option quarterback with a “never-say-die” ball-carrier mentality.
He has improved as a passer over the past two seasons and specifically loves to give his receivers a chance outside the numbers against man coverage. He has decent zip on shorter passes but lacks the arm talent for a deep passing game. He also naturally struggles to see over the line of scrimmage, though his numbers over the middle of the field aren’t bad. He has very high passing grades on designed rollouts, though true scramble-drill plays aren’t as successful. He has a bit of a looping throwing motion, but his footwork is strong and consistent.
Player Traits
- Decision Making & ball security: 7/10
- Poise & Out-of-Structure IQ: 7/10
- Accuracy From a Clean Pocket: 6/10
- Out-of-Structure Accuracy & Touch: 8/10
- Velocity: 5/10
- Distance: 4/10
- Progressions: 4/10
- Pocket management: 6/10
- Field mobility: 7/10
- Mechanics: 6/10
Strengths
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.