Crimson Tide Scouting Report: Defensive End Justin Eboigbe

BamaCentral and NFL Draft Bible team up to profile the 17 Alabama players who have a chance to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Alabama's defense is set to be one of the best units in all of college football yet again in 2021. 

Part of that is due to the number of returning starters like linebackers Will Anderson Jr, Christopher Allen and Christian Harris and defensive backs Josh Jobe and Malachi Moore. Another part of that is because of potential breakout stars like junior defensive end Justin Eboigbe.

Justin Eboigbe

No. 92
Pos: Defensive End
Ht: 6-5
Wt: 285
DOB: 4/09/2001
Draft Eligible: 2022
Hometown: Forest Park, Ga.
High School: Forest Park

Pros:

Long defensive end who understands how to play at extension. Eboigbe has pop behind his pads at the point of attack, standing blockers up. He uses his length on the outside or inside, long arming tackles and twisting guards after standing them up. Strong secondary leg drive displays lower body power. Flashing quick hands, he can swipe punches to stay clean. In the run game, he anchors well and sets a firm edge. His power at the point of attack allows him to reset the line of scrimmage, forcing cutbacks in the lateral run game. He stays square at extension, moving laterally. With textbook hand placement, he is best using his violent hands to disengage, pulling blockers. Eboigbe gets better as the game goes on, picking up on opponents’ tendencies and weaknesses. High effort player who is a reliable tackler. Gets his hands up to bat passes at the line.

Cons:

First step lacks explosiveness as he fails to snap out of his stance. Patient blockers give him issues, taking too long to take the initiative himself. Eboigbe plays at inconsistent pad levels, sometimes too high, exposing his chest and leaning at other times. His timing to disengage is often off, preventing him from two gapping successfully. Has many wasted movements trying to get into position and establish leverage, causing him to be late to locating ball carriers.

Summary:

Tall, long 3-4 defensive end with pop behind his pads. Eboigbe understands how to utilize his length. He flashes quick, decisive hands and leg drive to become a complete player. A slow get off and inconsistent pad level get him in trouble. He is still developing his hand usage to disengage consistently. Eboigbe projects as a future starting 3-4 defensive end who wins with length. He can come off the bench and play valuable snaps early on as he works on technical aspects of his game.

Grade: 7.5 (current)/8.6 (potential)

BamaCentral Analysis

One Crimson Tide junior that could use a breakout season to impress NFL front offices and teams is Eboigbe. In two seasons at Alabama, he has started five games and appeared in a total of 23, compiling 29 total tackles, 16 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His best outing came against Georgia last season when he showed off his violent hands, knocking down a pass and intercepting it at the line of scrimmage in the 41-24 victory. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, and with the right explosion, Eboigbe could develop into a sack specialist that would make for an interesting selection late in the 2022 or 2023 NFL draft. Eboigbe is poised for a full-time starting role in 2021 and will have to share the load on the defensive line with the likes of Byron Young and D.J Dale.

Alabama Athletics

Crimson Tide Scouting Report is a 17-part series on Alabama's prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft, with evaluations by NFL Draft Bible and analysis by BamaCentral. Check out his profile on NFL Draft Bible.

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Tight End Jahleel Billingsley

Defensive Tackle D.J Dale