Diego Pavia Given Understandable Expectations From Ravens

Before rookie minicamp this weekend, the Baltimore Ravens signed Diego Pavia to a three-year deal with no guarantees.

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The finalist for the 2025 Heisman Trophy went undrafted last weekend. The Ravens are giving the quarterback a shot in rookie minicamp to show that he has the potential to aid the team during OTAs this spring, and maybe get a crack at being on the roster for training camp and the preseason.

NFL teams typically keep around four quarterbacks on the 90-man roster in the spring so they have enough arms to throw to their receivers during OTAs.

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On Saturday, Ravens first-year head coach Jesse Minter suggested the team wanted to gauge how Pavia and fellow undrafted rookie free agent and quarterback Joe Fagnano perform in rookie minicamp this weekend to decide how to attack the quarterback position for the remainder of spring, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.

Minter suggested the Ravens could have as many as five quarterbacks on the roster this spring while they sort out the backup situation behind Lamar Jackson. Tyler Huntley is the current QB2.

The Ravens aren’t treating Pavia any differently than the other undrafted rookies. Pavia has to earn a spot, though the Ravens believe the quarterback “can eventually be something.”

Minter did his homework on Pavia before the Ravens signed him. Pavia was widely criticized for how he handled finishing behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the Heisman Trophy vote in addition to giving rival college teams bulletin board material before games.

Minter expects Pavia to learn from his experiences in college, but knows that the coaching staff at Vandy thinks highly of him.

“[Pavia has] had some experiences that are learning experiences that he could learn from and be better from,” Minter said. I don’t think anybody would dispute that. But when you talk to the people inside that building [at Vanderbilt] and what he’s about as a player, he is showing up early every day and working really hard.”

Given the controversies surrounding Pavia and questions about his physical size, it made sense for teams not to take a chance on drafting him. With that being said, there is clear upside potential for the Ravens.

New Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle had experience coaching quarterback Tyson Bagent last season with the Chicago Bears. Bagent entered the league in 2023 as a UDFA from Shepherd and has worked his way into becoming one of the better backups in the league.

Pavia could develop into a similar player.

Pavia will undoubtedly want his chance to start in the NFL. He could eventually get there if he impresses teams during the preseason. However, he has to prove himself on and off the field during OTAs and training camp before he gets that opportunity.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 3:56 PM.