Drafted in the fourth round at pick 105 by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe didn’t make a splash in his rookie year.
He played the majority of snaps during the preseason games against the Seahawks and Dallas, and in the regular season, he had 26 defensive and 27 special teams snaps.
While he wasn’t able to have a breakout moment in 2024, can he have that in 2025 and contribute in a big way?
NFL Draft Credentials
2023 was really Eboigbe’s time to shine, as he played every game that season at Alabama. According to John Zenor of The LA Times, Eboigbe sustained a neck injury during a practice leading up to the fifth game of 2022 and was out for the rest of that season.
So, in 2023, he made up for lost time, and that regular season was full of career highs. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), looking at only his regular season games, he ranked seventh for the team in total defensive snaps (550), first in pass rush snaps (315), third in his run defense grade (86.6%), third in sacks (six), tied for first in batted passes (two), second in STOPS (26), and third in quarterback hits (four), and hurries (15).
His knack for getting through to the quarterback really stands out in his highlights from that year, as does his versatility, considering the wide array of ways he was lined up on the defensive line.
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During the regular season, Eboigbe spent the majority of that 2023 lined up outside of the offensive tackle (249), while it was fairly even in terms of the amount of time he spent lined up as a defensive tackle (136) and lined up over the offensive tackle (138).
In watching those highlights, his pure strength to just bowl people over is on full display, no matter where he lined up. In his NFL draft profile, Lance Zierlein said that “Eboigbe plays base end and can slide inside when needed, but lacks the anchor and power associated with most Alabama interior defenders. He’s more than capable of bullying tight ends as a base end, but will need to move inside as a pass rusher.”
He also said that Eboigbe’s “first strike carries good pop and aggression at the point of attack” and that he “rarely cheated as a tackler and finishes what he starts.”
Zierlein saw Eboigbe as an average backup or special teams piece, and that’s really where I anticipate Eboigbe having an impact down the depth chart and as more fuel for that special teams side.
Justin Eboigbe Could Enhance The Los Angeles Chargers In 2025
The Chargers have quite a few players returning this year to the defensive line, like Otito Ogbonnia and Teair Tart. Tart, in particular, was extended this offseason.
Players like defensive linemen Morgan Fox and Poona Ford have gone elsewhere, which is one of the reasons Daniel Popper of The Athletic projects the Chargers picking an interior defensive lineman with their second pick, as they “need more juice in this room that can impact the quarterback.”
He does mention Eboigbe as someone the Chargers could be anticipating “a huge jump from.”
Given the nature of head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz, there’s no doubt that some additions to this position group will be made throughout the draft and the season, but I think Eboigbe could be a surprising boost for the Chargers in 2025.
Though 2023 was his only full season of play, he has those pass rush and run defense abilities that can be fine-tuned. And given the recovery he had to endure from that neck injury that took months to heal, he has the grit needed to excel. Eboigbe can get to that next level but needs more opportunity, and without some of the reliable pieces like Fox around, this could be his moment.