The Cleveland Browns have adopted a well-known script through the years relating to their quarterback room.
Draft a rookie, pair him with a “bridge QB” who will maintain down the fort for a couple of video games, flip to the rookie, and prosper.
Advertisement
Sadly, the Browns have principally missed out on the “prosper” a part of the equation, resulting in constant churn on the place since 1999.
Speaking of acquainted issues, there’s one quarterback within the 2026 NFL Draft who’s equal elements of two of essentially the most polarizing quarterbacks the Browns have employed throughout the previous 25 years: Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt.
Name: Diego Pavia
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 207 kilos
College: Vanderbilt Commodores
2025 Passing Stats: 13 video games, 70.6 completion share, 3,539 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 170.4 quarterback ranking
2025 Rushing Stats: 13 video games, 862 speeding yards, 5.2 yards per rush, 10 speeding touchdowns, 66.3 speeding yards per recreation
Advertisement
Career Passing Stats: 53 video games, 62.2 completion share, 10,255 passing yards, 88 passing touchdowns, 27 interceptions, 151.3 quarterback ranking
Career Rushing Stats: 53 video games, 3,094 speeding yards, 4.9 yards per rush, 31 speeding touchdowns, 58.4 speeding yards per recreation
Average “Big Board” Position as of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database: 293rd general, projected UDFA
The Draft Network’s Grade/Round Value: Round 6 – Role Specific Contributor
What an Expert is Saying
Pavia is a brief, robust, productive quarterback who performs greater than his measurables. He elevates these round him and was the principle character in Vanderbilt’s shift from doormat to successful program. He’s improvisational, creating explosives that aren’t on the decision sheet with out enjoying reckless hero ball. He scans via progressions, throwing with intermediate accuracy, however impatience versus zone can result in expensive errors. He can stand and ship or escape and win along with his arm or legs when pressured. However, he lacks very best mechanics and desires altered launch factors for cleaner sight traces and launch factors. His deep ball is under common. He isn’t explosive or quick, however he’s a power multiplier for the run recreation, particularly close to the purpose line. Efficiency and success charges take a look at throughout most situational filters, however he requires a extra tailor-made scheme. Quarterbacks his dimension not often make NFL rosters, however his competitiveness needs to be a plus so long as he’s prepared to just accept a task as a backup.
What an Expert is Saying (Bonus Round):
Pavia is the form of participant you want might simply play school ball without end. He’s the underdog everybody tunes in to see topple giants when his staff has no enterprise doing so. But relating to his professional projection, he’ll doubtless be considered as an enormous underdog as soon as once more.
His smaller dimension, underneath 5-foot-10, is nearly nonexistent within the NFL outdoors of Kyler Murray and Bryce Young — however he isn’t the runner Murray is and isn’t the passer Bryce was at Alabama. What he does have going for him is expertise as an RPO and choice quarterback with a “never-say-die” ball-carrier mentality.
He has improved as a passer over the previous two seasons and particularly loves to present his receivers an opportunity outdoors the numbers in opposition to man protection. He has first rate zip on shorter passes however lacks the arm expertise for a deep passing recreation. He additionally naturally struggles to see over the road of scrimmage, although his numbers over the center of the sector aren’t dangerous. He has very excessive passing grades on designed rollouts, although true scramble-drill performs aren’t as profitable. He has a little bit of a looping throwing movement, however his footwork is powerful and constant.
Fit with the Browns
There are elements of Pavia’s recreation, and Pavia himself, that can sound very acquainted to Browns followers.
Advertisement
Pavia had the moxy to propel Vanderbilt right into a successful program in his two years with the Commodores, no small feat for a program that has been the SEC’s favourite homecoming opponent for many years. People doubted him, and he proved them fallacious.
If Pavia can try this at Vanderbilt, then the identical angle and need to by no means again down from a problem would play nicely in Cleveland. Just because it did with Baker Mayfield from 2018 to 2020.
Pavia’s dimension is a significant purple flag, nevertheless, as is the truth that he’s being mentored by Johnny Manziel, who spun his personal explicit model of magic in Cleveland from 2014 to 2018.
Pick whichever one you need, however that is very a lot a case of “been there, done that” concerning Pavia and the Browns. Not positive anybody has the abdomen to enroll in it once more.
Advertisement
Browns Player Drafting Could Impact
If the Browns draft a quarterback, then Dillon Gabriel is probably going the odd man out. (He could also be anyway.) If the Browns draft a very good quarterback, then Shedeur Sanders could possibly be taking his present elsewhere this fall.
Priority: It is excessive, however it will doubtless should be “high on an inflatable swan in a pool” stage for the Browns to deliver Pavia to city.
What are your ideas on Diego Pavia? Should the Browns take of venture on him? Let us know within the feedback!