Less than two full days after the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens signed one of the most polarizing undrafted rookie free agents. On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Baltimore is signing former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia... and Pittsburgh Steelers fans can only laugh at the details.
Instead of bringing in Pavia on a try-out basis or signing him to a one-year, minimum UDFA contract, the Ravens showed misplaced confidence in the 24-year-old undrafted free agent by inking him to a three-year contract, which is the standard deal for a UDFA, to be fair.
This deal came just after news broke that the Ravens signed UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano to a three-year deal. With Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley already on the roster, what's the plan with a pair of UDFAs at the position? This is hard to make sense of.
The Ravens just handed out a pair of contracts to UDFAs... and neither may be deserving of a spot on an NFL roster.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans can only laugh at the Baltimore Ravens' UDFA signings
Pavia is not only a 24-year-old rookie, but he's perhaps the smallest quarterback in NFL history. At 5'10'' on the dot at the NFL Combine, Pavia somehow seems even smaller on the field than his listed height. This is the second-shortest QB on record at the NFL Combine since 1999, per Mockdraftable.
While Pavia has enough mass packed onto his frame (203 pounds), his 28 3/8'' arms are also the second-shortest in Combine history. On top of that, his 4.83 speed at his Vanderbilt Pro Day makes him a very modest athlete (and for his tiny QB frame, that's simply not good enough). And some analysts had already toyed with the idea of the undersized QB changing positions in the NFL.
Not only does Pavia have the ultimate uphill battle to earn a roster spot as one of the smallest quarterbacks in modern NFL history, but he also lacks youth or upside. Outside of some nice highlights at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt and some respectable college numbers, Pavia doesn't have much going for him.
The same is the case for Ravens' other UDFA signing, Joe Fagnano. At 6'3'' and 226 pounds, Fagnano actually has an NFL frame for the QB position, but he's already 25 years old, and he's coming from an independent conference that didn't play against a tough schedule.
I understand the Ravens wanted to add QB depth, but between Pavia and Fagnano, both quarterbacks could miss the final roster. Suddenly, taking Drew Allar at pick No. 76 doesn't look so bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There's almost always low risk involved in signing UDFAs, but the Baltimore Ravens' decision to hand out a pair of three-year contracts to quarterbacks who may not make their roster is comedy gold for Steelers fans.
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