by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of One Foot Down.
The NFL Draft talk never ends, and we are here at Draft 412 in an effort to keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024, we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Notre Dame, T, Joe Alt
Name- Joe Alt
Pos- T
Team- Notre Dame
HT/WT- 6’8” 315 lbs.
Born- 2/28/2003
Home – North Oaks, MN
His dad, John Alt, played offensive tackle between 1984-1996 with the Kansas City Chiefs. His brother, Mark, is a defenseman in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche.
Joe Alt was rated as a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star rating by 247 Sports out of Totino-Grace High School in Minnesota. Alt decided to join Notre Dame and was considered a tight end-tackle as a freshman.
In Alt’s freshman season, he played in 11 games and played a total of 613 snaps. He was credited with allowing 3 quarterback sacks and one quarterback hit playing left tackle.
In 2022, Alt made some mechanical and stance adjustments and became one of the country's best left tackles. In 12 games, he was on the field for 807 snaps and he only conceded 3 hurries and 2 quarterback hits. Alt did not allow a sack in 2022 playing left tackle.
Alt is an athletic left tackle and is a smooth mover in pass protection, using his lower and upper body well together. He’s quick off the snap in both pass and run protection and always has his head on a swivel.
Alt consistently makes plays in the second level and has the heavy hands teams desire to move defenders. A nasty run blocker, Alt drives defenders until the whistle is blown. At 6’8” he is very athletic and able to use his length and speed to make blocks all over the field.
On the downside of Alt, he needs to get stronger. Bull rushers, at times, give him problems and he needs to keep his feet moving in the pass blocking phase of his game. All prospects his size need to work on their balance and reach in conjunction with their feet. His footwork is there, but another year in college should help him correct this.
Strengths
Quick off the snap
Does well in run blocking
Athletic, gets to the next level fast
Fluid in his movement
Plays through whistle, nasty side to his game
Weaknesses
Stiff upright at times
Needs to get stronger and add muscle to his 6’8” frame
Needs to hit and drive more often, keep feet moving
Final Analysis
Joe Alt is coming off a season where he did not give up a sack and should be one of the top 3 tackles off the board. He has the potential to be a lynchpin on somebody’s left side of their offensive line for years to come.
Prediction- Round 1