Diego Pavia’s professional football career hit an early speed bump as the former Vanderbilt quarterback was waived by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday ahead of training camp. Pavia finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up last season, completing 70 percent of his passes and throwing for 29 touchdowns at Vanderbilt. He signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent after not hearing his name called during the 2026 NFL Draft.Pavia wouldn’t be the first college football standout not to see his collegiate success translate to the NFL. However, it is relatively uncommon for a player to be the caliber of a top-two Heisman finalist and have trouble finding his footing in the NFL. Among the 50 players who were a Heisman winner or runner-up from 2000 through 2024, only nine went on to have fewer than 10 starts in the NFL. Of those nine players, eight were quarterbacks; running back Bryce Love, the 2017 Heisman runner-up, was the exception.Six of the nine players never started a game in the league.Doug Flutie Reacts to the NFL Finally Respecting Mobile QuarterbacksNebraska quarterback Eric Crouch won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 and was drafted in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. However, standing at 6 feet tall, Crouch was deemed too short to play quarterback and the Rams tried to use him at wide receiver. A leg injury derailed his football career, which resulted in Crouch announcing his retirement at the start of his rookie season. He briefly attempted a comeback the following year with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs but nothing materialized and Crouch never played in the NFL.Jason White won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 but went undrafted in 2005 and didn’t even garner much interest from teams post-draft because of his history of knee injuries. Although he eventually got a shot with the Tennessee Titans, White retired from football before the 2005 regular season and did not play in an NFL game.Troy Smith had a decorated college career at Ohio State, highlighted by winning the Heisman Trophy in 2006. However, he wasn’t drafted until the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, and although he hung around for four years in the NFL, he made only eight starts and 20 game appearances in his pro career.Johnny Manziel built his legend at Texas A&M as a flamboyant quarterback and was a 2014 first-round selection by the Cleveland Browns. Manziel’s case is an anomaly, as his shortcomings were more self-inflicted errors than a lack of opportunity. He was never able to shed his off-field issues and lasted just two seasons in the NFL, with eight starts on his resume.The Heisman runners-up have had a bleaker outlook. Quarterback Josh Heupel (2000 Heisman runner-up), quarterback Brad Banks (2002 Heisman runner-up), Love (2017 Heisman runner-up) and quarterback Max Duggan (2022 Heisman runner-up) never played in the NFL. Quarterback A.J. McCarron, the 2013 Heisman runner-up, carved out a nine-year NFL career as a backup after being a fifth-round selection out of Alabama, but he finished with just four starts in the NFL and 19 game appearances.For players capable of being one of the two best players in college football, it has often taken injuries to give NFL teams cause for pause. White, Heupel, Love and, to some extent, Crouch fall into this category. Smith, Duggan and McCarron weren’t high draft picks, but they all did hear their name called during the draft, with Smith and McCarron getting NFL paychecks for multiple years.Pavia’s path thus far has most closely mirrored Banks. Banks and Pavia each played quarterback at three schools in college — Banks at UCF, Hinds (Miss.) Community College and Iowa, while Pavia had stops at New Mexico Military Institute, New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. Banks was not selected in the 2003 NFL Draft but signed soon after with Washington. Pavia went undrafted this year, becoming the first Heisman runner-up since Banks to fall out of the draft, but signed with the Ravens after the draft.Banks, however, did make it into training camp with Washington in 2003. He was eventually cut and went on to have a future in the CFL, the German Football League and the Arena Football League, but he never played in an NFL game. Pavia didn’t make it into training camp with the Ravens, but he is now available to sign with any team.