Why it's hard to transplant a pawpaw tree ... insane tap root

That is amazing!!! I'm imagining the hole you just dug. Whoo.

So how old are those trees you were transplanting? [Those absurd taproots are making me consider an attempt at direct seeding a ton of pawpaws into a field to chop and drop most of them as the early years go by, with the emphasis on sinking a ton of OM into the space.]

Wow! That pic just gave me a sick stomach lol. I've actually got to dig up a pawpaw I planted last fall to put another variety in its place (bought two of the same thinking they would pollinate each other) and move the one I'm digging out closer to the house. Hopefully being a pot grown grafted variety it hasn't got such a taproot

That is not me - I just came across the image and thought it was worth sharing.
It appears to be from Pietro's Paw Paws in Florida.