Tennessee college football’s NFL arrivals continue as 2026 Draft concludes, but Diego Pavia still awaits his call

Sunday morning in the NFL universe is usually when the post-draft news cycle begins to settle—team rosters get filled, priority undrafted rookie free agents (UDFAs) get locked in, and fanbases start sorting who landed where. But for Tennessee’s college pipelines, this year’s 2026 Draft is already delivering major headlines.

The biggest storyline on the Tennessee side, however, remains Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who entered the weekend as one of the most scrutinized offensive talents in college football—and left Pittsburgh still waiting.

As of the writing of this article, Pavia remains undrafted and unsigned, making him the highest-profile Tennessee college player still without an NFL deal after the 2026 Draft concluded. Multiple outlets reported that the Vanderbilt quarterback did not hear his name called, and according to Sports Illustrated he is the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014.

The decision left Pavia in a familiar-but-uncomfortable position but the roster math of UDFAs tends to produce signings quickly.

Here is why Pavia's likely to be signed on an NFL roster quickly:

Pavia is a proven winner at the college level: the 2025 runner-up for the Heisman Trophy threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns while helping Vanderbilt reach the ReliaQuest Bowl and its first 10-win season. And while his NFL landing spot is still missing, the raw resume is why teams will kept engaging with him through this evaluation period.

Pre-draft reporting indicated he met with NFL personnel—including that the Panthers were among the teams he visited—and that other clubs had continued their work on him late in the process.

Here is a list of Tennessee-Affiliated Players who are drafted and signed for upcoming NFL camps as of this posting:

1. Drafted Players

• Eli Stowers — Vanderbilt→ Philadelphia Eagles (Round 2)

• Jermod McCoy — Tennessee→ Las Vegas Raiders (Round 4)

• Tyre West — Tennessee→ Detroit Lions (Round 7)

• Chris Brazzell II — Tennessee→ Carolina Panthers (Round 3)

2. Undrafted Free Agents

• Joey Aguilar, QB — Tennessee→ Jacksonville Jaguars (UDFA)

• Theron Gaines, LB — Tennessee Tech→ Buffalo Bills (UDFA)

• Parker Hughes, LB — MTSU→ Jacksonville Jaguars (UDFA)

• Omari Kelly, WR — MTSU→ Chicago Bears (UDFA)

• Langston Patterson, LB — Vanderbilt→ Dallas Cowboys (UDFA)

• Jordan White, OL — Vanderbilt→ Jacksonville Jaguars (UDFA)

• Isaia Glass, OL — Vanderbilt→ Carolina Panthers (UDFA)

• Khordae Sydnor, DE — Vanderbilt→ Cleveland Browns (UDFA)

• Steven Losoya, C — Vanderbilt→ Carolina Panthers (UDFA)

• Bryson Eason, DL — Tennessee→ San Francisco 49ers

• Miles Kitselman, TE - Tennessee→ Detroit Lions

• Jalen McMurray,DB — Tennessee→ Tennessee Titans

• Dominic Bailey, DL — Tennessee→ Houston Texans

• Jaxson Moi, DL — Tennessee→ Los Angeles Rams

• William Wright, DB — Tennessee→ Denver Broncos

• Star Thomas, RB — Tennessee→ Invited to Titans Rookie Minicamp 

• Greg Desrosiers, RB - Memphis→ Los Angeles Chargers

• Cortez Braham Jr., WR - Memphis→ Baltimore Ravens