If Shedeur Sanders was too cocky for NFL teams, Diego Pavia may be in for a rough NFL Draft come April. As Deion's son prepared to enter the pros, rumors began to circulate about his confident personality rubbing teams up the wrong way during interviews. Shedeur boldly declared that he was coming in to change the fortunes of whatever franchise drafted him only to slide all the way into the fifth round and fourth on the Cleveland Browns depth chart. As the 23-year-old fights to prove he has a future, Pavia is battling to save his reputation. After spells with the New Mexico Military Institute and New Mexico State, the prospect moved to Vanderbilt in 2024 and fired himself into contention for the Heisman Trophy. He ultimately lost to Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, but throwing for over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns earned in his final year of eligibility him a shot at being drafted. Unfortunately, when your age (24) and measurables (6ft, 207 pounds) aren't prototypical, everything else has to be perfect -- especially mentality. Shedeur, who is on a $4.6 million rookie deal, found that out the hard way as he went from projected first-round pick to day-three flier. Pavia should have paid attention. The Heisman finalist put together a clinic of how not to act in the national spotlight over the weekend. Arriving at the ceremony flanked by his brothers, fans thought the red carpet strut gave off Goodfellas vibes. Asked to pick between Lamar Jackson and Johnny Manziel as the best quarterback of all time by the Daily Mail, he refused and selected himself. So far, not so bad. Quarterbacks are a confident bunch. But posting 'F all the voters' as an Instagram caption after placing second crossed a line. And a video of Pavia partying in New York in front of a board that read 'F*** Indiana' left a sour taste in many viewers' mouths. "Shedeur was confident, not arrogant. Pavia is arrogant and has given every reason to not be drafted at all," wrote one on X. "Diego Pavia is everything the media says Shedeur Sanders is," added a second. "Diego Pavia lost 8-figures this week He didn’t learn from Shedeur Sanders," a third noted. "Nothing really affected me. "I'm favored, I'm blessed. Besides that, it's not really anything that changed. The love of the game is still the love of the game. When you get on the field, there wasn't too much negativity being said. I know I gotta clean up some things in my game for me to be at my best, but that's what I take each offseason one at a time and fix it. "The main thing, I'm just proving — coach (Kevin) Stefanski and (general manager Andrew) Berry — that they are right. That's it. They're right about picking me. I'm a good decision. I'm a good draft pick for them, to be able to come in there and do what I need to do." Ironically, Pavia could have ended up as Shedeur's backup at Jackson State. "Coach Prime offered me at Jackson State," he told The Pivot Podcast. "But he was so real. He was like, 'Hey, look. We're looking for a backup. You ain't playing over my son even if he gets hurt.' "And I'm like, at least he's real, you know? So I took the offer to New Mexico State."  On the podcast, Pavia begged for an opportunity at the next level. "I can win wherever I go. I just need a chance," he said. "I just need an opportunity. The NFL as well. Just give me a chance. I just want an opportunity. I can show you that I'm the player. "That's just who I feel who I am deep inside. I'm a true competitor. At all costs, I'm going to beat you out.  "It don't matter who you are, what you do, where you came from -- I'm gonna win."    Ranking the top 10...... Quarterbacks of all-time - Can anyone better Tom Brady? Wide receivers of all-time - Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top? Running backs of all-time - Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more Tight ends of all-time - How does Travis Kelce compare? Pavia issued a grovelling apology on social media as he looks to save his NFL career. "To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful," he posted on X. "I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to. "I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry. "Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award." Backup quarterbacks can comfortably earn tens of millions of dollars in the NFL, but the margin for error is small and the window closes quickly. Time will tell if it is too little too late from Pavia. Vanderbilt's season draws to a close against Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year's Eve. Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms - follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.