WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – On the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdue running back Zander Horvath heard his named called in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Chargers as the 260th overall pick.
Horvath joined George Karlaftis (1st Round, 30th, Kansas City) and David Bell (3rd Round, 99th, Cleveland) as the Purdue's first three-player draft class since 2008. He is the first Boilermaker selected by the Chargers since Nick Hardwick and Shaun Phillips were tabbed in 2004 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
The Mishawaka native ran for 1,181 yards over four seasons at Purdue with eight touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He added 592 yards receiving with one score over 38 career games with the Boilermakers.
As a senior, Horvath ran for 320 yards over eight games, overcoming a leg injury that saw him miss five weeks and returning to the starting lineup against Northwestern. He opened the season with 81 yards on 21 touches with a touchdown against Oregon State.
Despite the limited time, Horvath led Purdue in rushing touchdowns and finished second in rush yards. His 53.5 all-purpose yards per game were fifth highest on the team last season.
Horvath's junior campaign saw him rush for a career-best 442 yards for five yards per carry and 73.7 yards per game over the six-game campaign. He was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team in 2020.
Horvath topped 100 yards rushing in four career games, including 164 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns in the 2019 Old Oaken Bucket Game.
A construction management major, Horvath was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was named a 2022 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member in April.
Horvath is the first Purdue running back to be drafted since Edwin Watson went to the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
The trio selected in 2022 mark the sixth, seventh and eighth NFL Draft picks in the Jeff Brohm era.