Sometimes it takes more than just talent and grit to be a lock in the NFL. Specifically, character. That’s part of what people believe may have left Diego Pavia out of the draft. And now, his friendship with former Heisman QB Johnny Manziel is adding more fuel to the fire. So, when Skip Bayless pointed out the complication of this relationship, it wasn’t subtle.  

“I’m pretty sure Johnny Manziel moved to Nashville? That’s Diego’s idol and he’s been partying with Johnny,” Skip Bayless told The Arena: Gridiron. “You know what the league thinks of that. If there’s any doubt about you and you’re hanging with Manziel, ummm no.” 

It’s not hard to see why some people are uneasy. A first round pick in 2014, Johnny Manziel’s career has become the cautionary tale that refuses to fade away. His lifestyle often created tension with the Cleveland Browns. After a disappointing rookie season in 2015, he spent 10 weeks in rehab for alcohol and drug issues. 

Later that year, while recovering from a concussion, he reportedly flew to Las Vegas in disguise the night before a game and missed a medical check-in the next morning. These off-field controversies ultimately led to his release ahead of the 2016 season. That was the end of his NFL career. He later joined the CFL but he couldn’t stick with any team for long and his football career ended in 2022. 


Now, Diego Pavia, like Johnny Manziel once did, brings two questions into every room. Size and maturity. There’s no doubt about his talent but the NFL has never just been about what you do between the lines. It’s about whether teams trust you when no one’s watching. Still, he doesn’t see Manziel as a warning but rather as a resource.

“He’s giving me what to look out for, what it’s like, how to stay in the process,” he said of Johnny Manziel at the combine. “And, you know, he’s given me some good advice, for sure. And he always reaches out, too, checks up on me, makes sure I’m good, and he just, like, he’s just a friend to me, you know? And so he’s giving me some mentorship. He’s been around me, he’s been around my family. He’s just a great person for those that really don’t know him.”

The NFL evaluates your risk level and all these stories might have been a role in Diego Pavia’s draft slide. Because what he did at Vanderbilt should have made this whole conversation irrelevant. He led the Commodores to a 10-2 regular season with a Heisman runner-up finish. But it only got him a minicamp invite with the Baltimore Ravens, where he ultimately signed. 

That disconnect is why Skip Bayless and plenty of others pushed back so hard although he is a supporter. He even argued months earlier that Diego Pavia deserved the Heisman over Fernando Mendoza “for his performance on the field, even if his swagger and edge rubbed some voters and viewers the wrong way.”

Analyst questions Diego Pavia’s personality  

The NFL doesn’t want its QB2 making headlines. And yes, Johnny Manziel’s shadow hangs over his observation. Not because he’s actively hurting Diego Pavia, but because he represents what happens when talent and discipline drift apart.

“Football moves on quickly,” he said. “Just as Johnny Manziel, it moves quickly. … But Diego Pavia has a personality, but he doesn’t have a personality that I want as my backup quarterback.”

Diego Pavia can treat Johnny Manziel as a mentor, the guy who shows him every pitfall before he falls. Or he can ignore how the league perceives that association and hope his play forces a rewrite. But the reality is that the NFL doesn’t wait for anyone. Johnny Football knows that and hopefully, he’s steering the Ravens’ QB in a different NFL path than his.

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