The LA Chargers welcomed a new regime in 2024 with Jim Harbaugh at head coach and Joe Hortiz at general manager. This ended an 11-year Tom Telesco run that resulted in only three playoff appearances and two playoff wins.
Fans have been very receptive of the moves this new regime has made in its first year together. From free agency to the draft, Harbaugh and Hortiz have done a great job of maximizing the assets in the building to create a comprehensive football team.
However, it has not been perfect. Outside of a questionable Keenan Allen-Joey Bosa decision, the Chargers may have also made one key mistake in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fourth-round pick Justin Eboigbe was named a healthy scratch yet again in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans and has not had the same impact another selection could have had.
Week 10 inactives remind fans that the Chargers should've drafted a center over Justin Eboigbe
Not every day-three selection is going to pan out and there is an even shorter list of day-three prospects who end up having big impacts in their rookie season. On the surface, Eboigbe being a constant healthy scratch is not a cause for concern.
However, the nuance of the decision does raise more scrutiny. It was well-documented heading into the draft that the Chargers had one of the deepest edge-rusher rooms in the sport. And while that room has several veterans who won't last on the team long, it also has a key pillar of youth in Tuli Tuipulotu.
It was also well documented that Bradley Bozeman being the lone starting center option was a massive risk for the team. While Bozeman had starting experience at center, it was impossible to be fully confident in him based on his recent track record.
Bozeman has struggled while Eboigbe has not been able to log any meaningful playing time in a deep edge-rusher room. Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Beaux Limmer has thrived for the LA Rams, and would have provided an upgrade over Bozeman.
Even if the Chargers didn't take the right flier on Limmer, the Bolts could have selected a prospect with real potential who has not even played yet. Both Hunter Nouzard and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger were on fans' wish lists and both were taken after Eboigbe.
Either of those prospects could have given the Chargers another starting center option. And while the team would have lost a young edge-rusher, there is always the 2025 NFL Draft to add to that room.