Mel Kiper Jr. praises Joe Alt, his versatility as NFL Draft prospect

It looks like Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt has a bright NFL future ahead of him, regarded by many as one of the top prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft and the outright best offensive lineman in this year’s class.

But he wouldn’t be the first in his family to do so, with his father John Alt spending 13 seasons in the NFL where he secured two Pro Bowl selections and landed a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 1990.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has scouted both of the Alt offensive linemen during his career and recently broke down the latest in the family lineage with Field Yates.

“Yeah John Alt coming out of Iowa to the Kansas City Chiefs, and Joe Alt’s gonna go a little bit higher in the draft,” Kiper said. “Love a tight end turned offensive tackle, Joe Alt you talk about the improvement and the fact that he is only 20 years of age. Young, turns 21 at the end of February.”

Alt began his career as a tight end before eventually transitioning to offensive tackle, playing defensive end and basketball as well in high school as a decorated, freak athlete. His skill for his size is impressive, starting in 33 of his 38 game appearances during his career with the Fighting Irish as he showed constant improvement and paved the way for one of the nation’s best offensive attacks last season.

“I think the consistency level that he maintained at Notre Dame game in and game out Field is what impressed me, that’s why I give him the slight edge in terms of the number one offensive tackle spot,” Kiper explained. “But I think Joe Alt’s gonna be NFL ready, he’s gonna be another guy you can put at left tackle.”

Alt’s athleticism also makes him a versatile player on the offensive line, and one that Kiper believes can make an impact protecting the blindside of a quarterback or clearing the way on the strong side of the offensive front.

“If you have to move him over to right tackle Field he will get movement in the run game, so that’s that option that you always have with these left tackles. Put them on the right side and this is a kid that I think can do a job as a Pro Bowler on that side,” Kiper said.

The Pro Bowl genes are definitely there for Alt, whose father was also named to the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2002. Kiper also compared the young and promising prospect to another current Pro Bowl offensive lineman who’s one of the NFL’s best.

“Lane Johnson did it coming out of Oklahoma with the Philadelphia Eagles. You talk about a kid 6’8, 315-320 [pounds], his father was 6’7-6’8 way back in the early 80s Field but he was 275 pounds. So his son Joe, a lot heavier at 315-320, but certainly a heck of a player at either left tackle or right tackle in the National Football League,” Kiper said.

Alt has the potential to have an even stronger career than his father who set the bar pretty high for his son, and it will surely be interesting to see which of the league’s 32 teams decided to draft Alt and bolster up their offensive line in this year’s draft on April 25.