Dan Patrick compares Diego Pavia NFL Draft slide to Shedeur Sanders: 'Professionalism is not optional'

Long time radio host Dan Patrick took notice of Diego Pavia and his NFL Draft slide over the weekend and compared it to Shedeur Sanders. If you’re not a can’t-miss prospect, then you better be buttoned up everywhere else.

Pavia is, no doubt, an eccentric quarterback with a flare for the dramatic and headlines. Heck, one of his current mentors is Johnny Manziel. But unlike Manziel, Pavia was only a Heisman finalist and not a winner.

He ended up going undrafted and signed by the Baltimore Ravens on a minicamp tryout basis, while someone like Sanders went into 2025 with first-round hype, only to slide to the fifth round. Patrick laid it all out there as to why Pavia fell completely out of the draft and will now play catch up.

“As an NFL quarterback, a certain level of professionalism is not optional. It’s expected,” Patrick said. “You are the face of the franchise. Even as a backup, the job demands steadiness and the ability to avoid becoming a distraction. It’s a simple formula, but when the league has reinforced repeatedly over the last two years, we’ve seen it impact draft stock in real time. Shedeur Sanders’ pre-draft interviews and some of his off the field comments contributed to his slide the off season this year, a similar story unfolded with Diego Pavia.” 

Pavia’s stats at least stood out, particularly this last season. After two years at New Mexico State, he transferred to Vanderbilt and became a household name. This past year, Pavia threw for 3,539 yards, 29 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a 70.6% completion percentage, 862 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

“The Vandy stand out, went from a Heisman finalist undrafted, a surprising fall given his production in the SEC,” Patrick said. “At any other position, personality can be absorbed, even embraced. At quarterback, it’s evaluated differently. The message from the NFL is clear, if you’re not a can’t miss prospect, professionalism is not just valued, it’s required.”

As we have seen in the past, Pavia was incredibly confident when it came to getting picked. He told ESPN’s Pete Thamel as such in Mobile, AL, for the Senior Bowl, calling himself “the best player in the country.”

“When has the last SEC player of the year not been drafted?” Pavia asked. “You know what I mean? I feel like you go watch, the tape number speaks for [itself]. Everything speaks for themselves. I feel like I’m the best player in the country, and I still believe that. That’s just the ultimate confidence that I’ve had.”