After a trying and tragic 2022, Alabama defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe came to be considered a draft riser in 2023. But not to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Los Angeles general manager Joe Hortiz felt fortunate to find Eboigbe available when the Chargers made their fourth-round choice in the NFL Draft on April 27.

“He’s a guy that myself and a number of our scouts really liked,” Hortiz said. “I think everyone who did him, we had basically third-round grades on him, maybe even a few second-round grades sprinkled in there.

“So when you watch his film, he does everything right. He plays the defensive-line position how we want it done. That’s hat in hands, extending, two-gapping, reading. He’s instinctive. He’s got a high motor. He’s athletic. He’s a sneaky pass-rusher. He’s great picking. He’s great on twists.

“Kind of a relentless motor, so he’s earned the right, wherever he came from, the riser. The scouts that went in there in October, he didn’t rise from October to now. They threw it on him then. He just got realized by the media out there, but he’s a good football player.”

A neck injury that required surgery sidelined Eboigbe four games into Alabama’s 2022 season. The injury came on the heels of the death of Eboigbe’s brother.

“The year before last, my 2022 season, in the month of May, I ended up losing my brother,” Eboigbe said. “He ended up passing away. Then at the end of September, I had a neck injury, which made me miss the rest of the season. If you know anything about neck injuries, you don’t know what to expect. I just kept my faith and kept working, as far as not what may happen, but understanding that I’ll be prepared for a situation if it comes or not. That’s how I looked at it. Everything just started working.

“As far as my recovery, I came back quicker than expected. I put everything together. I had my best season. I realized that the adversity on and off the field — losing my brother and having the neck injury – it made me more appreciative. It made me understand that there is no tomorrow. You have to give everything you have today because, one day, it will be your last, and you never know.”

In his first four seasons at Alabama, Eboigbe recorded 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. In 2023, Eboigbe registered 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

“For me, it’s just the versatility, the resilience, the adversity, the never-die attitude,” Eboigbe said. “If anybody knows my story, knows where I came from and what I came back from as far as injury, the adversity off the field by losing my brother the same year as the injury, and came back and had my best season.

“It wasn’t luck. It was just work. That’s what I plan on doing when I get there – just working. Put my head down and work, grind, gain the respect of the veterans and the teammates around me to where I get the trust of them.”

Eboigbe starts work with the Chargers at their rookie minicamp on Friday through Sunday. He joins Los Angeles as part of an overhaul of its defensive line under new coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Both came from Michigan’s 2023 CFP national-championship team.

The two down linemen who took the most snaps with the Chargers’ defense in 2023 are no longer with the team. Austin Johnson signed with the Buffalo Bills in NFL free agency, and Sebastian Joseph-Day was waived by Los Angeles after starting the first 14 games last season.

With Eboigbe’s addition, the Chargers have eight defensive linemen on their offseason roster. A former Seattle Seahawks starter, Poona Ford came aboard in free agency after playing in eight games with the Bills last season. Morgan Fox played 38 percent of Los Angeles’ defensive snaps in 2023, Scott Matlock 23 percent and Otito Ogbonnia 19 percent.

“I think his best position is as a five-technique, a defensive end,” Hortiz said of Eboigbe. “But you see him at Bama, he plays the six-, the seven-technique, then he moves down to the three and even nose in some passing situations. …

“A defensive lineman who can play across the board is a pretty good value.”

Eboigbe said he has no position preference.

“Honestly, it doesn’t even matter,” Eboigbe said. “If I can be on the field, it doesn’t matter. I can play every position. I know one thing: Whatever helps the team – whether that’s at three-technique, five-technique, shade, it doesn’t matter – as long as I can be able to effectively help the team, I’m all for it.