The Vanderbilt QB skips combine speed tests and wagers with Johnny Manziel ahead of pro day showdown.
Diego Pavia isn’t running from the spotlight; he’s just saving his sprint for later. The Vanderbilt quarterback, one of the breakout stars of the 2025 college football season, chose not to participate in timed drills at the NFL Scouting Combine this weekend in Indianapolis.
Instead, Pavia will throw at Lucas Oil Stadium and wait until Vanderbilt’s pro day on March 18 to post his official 40-yard dash and shuttle times.
And when he does, there’s $2,000 on the line.
During an appearance on Johnny Manziel’s Glory Daze podcast, Pavia agreed to a pair of $1,000 bets with the former Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner.
The challenge? Beat Manziel’s 4.68-second 40-yard dash and 4.03-second shuttle run times from his own pre-draft testing days.
Manziel, who won the 2012 Heisman Trophy before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, has taken on a mentorship role for Pavia. His advice has been blunt: learn from my mistakes.
“Don’t be Johnny off the field,” Manziel has told him.
The parallels are obvious. Pavia, listed at 6-0 and 207 pounds, doesn’t fit the traditional NFL quarterback mold, much like Manziel at Texas A&M. But what Pavia lacks in size, he makes up for in production and playmaking.
After transferring to Vanderbilt, Pavia led the Commodores to a 7-6 season in 2024, including a stunning upset over Alabama. He accounted for 28 total touchdowns while throwing just four interceptions.
This fall, he’s been even sharper - completing 74.6 percent of his passes for 1,211 yards, 13 touchdowns and three picks, while adding 294 rushing yards and two scores.
Vanderbilt is 5-0 and ranked No. 16 nationally, boasting the No. 4 scoring offense in the country at 49 points per game.
NFL scouts are watching closely. The pro day numbers will matter, especially for a quarterback whose game relies on mobility and improvisation.
Manziel’s NFL career never matched his college brilliance, derailed by off-field issues and inconsistent play. Pavia has a chance to carve a different path.
On March 18, the stopwatch will be waiting. And so will Johnny Football’s Venmo.