Penn State running back John Lovett signs free agent contract following 2022 NFL Draft
Penn State running back John Lovett is realizing his lifelong dream of joining an NFL franchise. While Lovett wasn’t selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Nittany Lions ball carrier is heading to the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.
On Sunday, Penn State Football took to Twitter to share a graphic, congratulating Lovett on his accomplishment.
Moreover, Lovett is a former four-star recruit from the class of 2017, and was listed as the nation’s No. 446 overall player, No. 39 safety and No. 10 player from the state of New Jersey, according to the On3 Consensus rankings. Originally, the 6-foot, 203-pound running back committed to Baylor, where he played for four seasons prior to transferring to Penn State, where he finished out his collegiate career.
Over his time at Baylor, Lovett accumulated 1,980 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns on 407 carries. Additionally, he was a factor in the passing game, amassing 29 receptions for 183 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Last season, Lovett ran for 177 yards on 52 attempts, while catching nine passes for 36 yards at Penn State. Unfortunately, he didn’t find the endzone for the Nittany Lions.
Now, John Lovett will be looking to find his footing behind superstar running back Christian McCaffrey in Carolina. With experience being coached by Matt Rhule in the past, Lovett has a chance to be a sneaky addition to the Panthers from draft weekend.
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Moreover, the Carolina Panthers made headlines with their third round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. The Panthers likely selected him because of a strong final college season with the Rebels, where his production remained high despite personnel losses from the 2020 season.
The Panthers traded the No. 137 overall pick and a future third-rounder to the New England Patriots for the No. 94 pick.
Corral entered the draft projected as a top-5 quarterback, with concerns about his physical attributes seeming to lower his draft stock. Despite these concerns, analysts are all agreed on the type of leadership Corral brings to the field and the competitor that he is. The lasting image from a phenomenal stretch as quarterback for Ole Miss was Corral standing alongside his teammates on crutches after suffering a high-ankle sprain during their bowl game — still leading the team.
Corral was a former four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. Corral was the fifth-highest rated quarterback of the 2018 recruiting class.
In 2020, Corral had his breakout season and led the FBS in total offense with 384.3 yards per game. He ranked top-ten in passing efficiency, touchdowns and yards in his 10 starts — and was a Manning Award finalist. In their Outback Bowl win over Indiana, Corral threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. His final season saw him finish seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in a season where he threw for 3,349 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions — as well as rushing for another 11 touchdowns.