DL Javon Hargrave
DL Javon Hargrave

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Thursday that they have signed Javon Hargrave to a four-year deal.

Keep reading to learn more about San Francisco's newest defensive lineman.

Road to the NFL

Hargrave attended South Carolina State University where he became an All-American defensive lineman and a two-time HBCU Defensive Player of the Year. While playing for South Carolina State, Hargrave tied an FCS record with 6.0 sacks in a 20-14 win over Bethune-Cookman in 2014.

At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Hargrave ran a 4.93 in the 40-yard dash, recorded a vertical jump of 34.5 inches, a broad jump of 109 inches and completed 29 bench press reps of 225 pounds. He went on to be selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (89th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Gravedigger

After recording his first collegiate sack, Hargrave was given the nickname of the "Gravedigger" from former South Carolina State defensive coordinator Mike Adams.

"When I first got to (South Carolina State), my friends called me Grave because of my last name," Hargrave said. "In my first year, on my first sack, I smacked the quarterback. I knocked him back a few yards. When I got back to the sideline, my defensive coordinator called me 'Gravedigger.' It was pretty dope to me. It stuck."

Get Off King

When asked on the Eagles Insider podcast what he's proud of in his game, Hargrave shared that he is the self-proclaimed "get off king."

"I'd like to say I'm the get off king," Hargrave said. "I'm explosive. My first step is up there with anybody's first step, and I know how to use my hands real good."

Pro Bowler

Hargrave was named to his first-career Pro Bowl following the 2021 season.

He earned the Pro Bowl honor after notching the second-most pressures (58, tied), third-most quarterback hits (18, tied) and sixth-most sacks (7.5) among all NFL defensive tackles that season.

2022 Season

Hargrave was part of the league's top sack-producing defensive unit (70 total sacks) in 2022 and made an appearance in Super Bowl LVII.

During the 2022 season, the defensive lineman notched a career-high 11.0 sacks and totaled 60 tackles, 16 quarterback hits, 10 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. His 11.0 sacks ranked fourth among NFL defensive tackles.

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