Joe Alt - Notre Dame

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height: 6’ 8.5”

Weight: 321 lbs.

Year: Jr.

Hometown: North Oaks, MN

Experience: 2-Year Starter

Measurables: 

40yd dash: 5.05s

Broad jump: 9’4”

Vertical: 28”

3-cone: N/A

20yd. Shuttle: N/A

Bench Press: N/A

Career Notes: 

Alt arrived in South Bend in the Fall of 2021 as a true freshman. He played in all 13 of the Fighting Irish’s games during the 2021 season, starting the final 8 games at left tackle, including the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. Showing off his versatility, he even saw some action at tight end in some of these games.

Having showed his stuff as a freshman, Alt returned in 2022 as the starter for all 13 of Notre Dame’s games. With Alt at left tackle, the Notre Dame offensive line helped the team log over 2,400 rushing yards, the most in a season since 1996. In six of these games, the offensive line did not give up a sack.

Once he was established as the cornerstone of the Notre Dame offensive line, Alt took a step up as a blocker and an athlete. In addition to being the powerful and agile blocker in the pass and zone run game, he was also used to pull across the line and gash open lanes for Audric Estimé and the rest of the skill guys at Notre Dame. Voted a team captain, Alt also garnered recognition beyond South Bend and beyond his locker room. He was voted a consensus First-Team All-American, as well as being a finalist for the Lombardi Award (awarded to the college football player who most embodied the spirit of Vince Lombardi) as well as being a finalist for the Outland Trophy (for outstanding play on offensive or defensive line). As the draft approaches, NFL front offices have taken notice of Alt’s play, as he has moved into the conversation of top offensive line draft prospect next to Penn State’s Olu Fashanu (who had been, up to this point, the consensus-top-offensive-lineman in football over the past two seasons).

Injury Report: 

Alt has not had any injuries.

Career Stats: 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/joe-alt-1.html

Analysis: 

Run Blocking 4.35 / 5.0: Alt showed great technique and consistency in Notre Dame’s zone run offense. He took leaps from the beginning of his sophomore campaign in 2022 to the end of his season as a junior in 2023 as far as positioning himself and using his hands in the run & RPO game. His ability to find defenders at the first and second levels became strong positive in his run blocking during 2023. Alt was an aggressive run-blocker, but always seemed composed, in-control, and very precise in attacking defenders. Notre Dame worked in some plays which had Alt pulling outside of the strong-side offensive tackle, and Alt was able to shine in quickly getting into position and mauling defenders at the first and second levels. Alt showed the power to be an effective run-blocker in any scheme, but he also lost some power when he was out-leveraged by defenders who kept their pads lower than his. 

Pass Protection 4.25 / 5.0: Alt’s ability to anticipate defenders’ rush lanes was impressive. Whether facing a speedy edge defender from a wide-9 position or facing a twisting interior defensive lineman coming off of a stunt, Alt kept his eyes up, his feet light, and his hands up & ready to engage rushers. While not the most flexible offensive tackle in this class, Alt’s athleticism really jumped off the screen in his ability to move his feet and keep a powerful base during all phases of pass blocking, from post-snap, to getting set, to adjusting mid-block. Alt’s high pads limited his power against bull rushers. Against Ohio State, Tyleik Williams got the better of Alt a few times due to his poor leverage, once even pushing Alt into the lap of Sam Hartman who threw a wobbly incompletion because of the contact from the linemen. 

Agility 4.35 / 5.0: Alt’s agility was impressive for a linemen of any size, but especially so for someone with his height and build. His feet were light and quick in both the pass and the run. On plays where he pulled, he was able to flip his hips from a sprint down the line of scrummage to get into blocking position on a moment’s notice. 

Summary: Alt’s greatest contributions to the Notre Dame offense were his quickness and his consistent technique & positioning. He was a reliable workhorse in the run and the pass game. His streak of 34 straight starts speaks to his durability. His pad leverage created concerns when he faced defenders who played with power and low pad leverage. His agility consistently gave him an advantage over defenders in the run and the pass game. While he has started for two seasons (and eight games of his freshman year), his best stuff came in 2023 when his technique, footwork, and positioning all became consistent.

Overall Grade 4.3 / 5.0

If drafted by the Packers:

Alt would be a strong tackle in Matt LaFleur’s offense which uses a mix of zone runs and some gap-schemed runs. Alt’s athleticism could land him on the right side of the line where he could be a huge asset on toss runs outside. He could also be the towering left tackle that the Packers need now that David Bakhtiari’s career as a Packer has come to a close. If Alt were drafted to be a left tackle, the Packers would need to address his pad leverage and power against the stronger bull rushers he would face on a weekly basis. He would have to fall quite a bit now that the Packers are picking 25th overall, but if Green Bay walked away with Alt, they would have a reliable bookend with incredible agility on the offensive line for a long time to come.

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