Alabama defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe became the seventh player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft when the Los Angeles Chargers selected him in the fourth round with the No. 105 overall pick Saturday. Eboigbe joins Dallas Turner, JC Latham, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Chris Braswell and Jermaine Burton as members of Alabama’s 2023 squad who have heard their names called so far.

Eboigbe's name was called earlier than several outlets projected. The Atheltic had Eboigbe going No. 126 overall to the Green Bay Packers, but his productive final season in Tuscaloosa helped vault him up a few extra spots. Eboigbe had a productive 2023 season, ranking fifth on the team in tackles (63), second in tackles for loss (11.5) tackles for a loss and third in sacks (seven). He earned first-team All-SEC honors as part of an elite Alabama defensive front that ranked in the top 20 in total yards allowed per game.

Eboigbe’s journey to becoming an NFL Draft pick has been a grind. He spent five seasons in Tuscaloosa and overcame a season-ending neck injury in 2022. He was named a semifinalist for the AP/CSC Comeback Player of the Year award after bouncing back last season to help Alabama reach the College Football Playoff.

“This time last year, just recently had surgery, still up in the air of whether I’d be able to play again, seeing my brothers out there and not being able to get the job done in Knoxville,” Eboigbe said in October 2023. “To be out there on the field with them, to get that get back with them in a sense and just being able to go out there each day and work for what I’ve been working for since I was five years old and just see how far I’ve come from a situation that was up in the air and just seeing how things have changed in a year’s time.”

Eboigbe’s versatility and ability to play multiple positions make him an intriguing option in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-4, 297-pound defensive lineman can line up at either the defensive tackle position or as a base end.