Mel Kiper Jr. projects Notre Dame OT Joe Alt to Tennessee Titans in 2024 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt put together an impressive three-year career in South Bend, and the NFL now awaits his talents. ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft on Tuesday, projecting Alt to go No. 7 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Kiper cited a need for the Titans to protect the quarterback after giving up 64 sacks in 2023, tied for the third-most in the NFL. With a young quarterback to build around in Will Levis, the ESPN analyst believes adding a big-bodied left tackle like Alt is exactly what they need.

“They couldn’t block anybody,” Kiper said on a SportsCenter special Tuesday. “Will Levis held up and then he got hurt, but he showed he can be a franchise quarterback with the Tennessee Titans. I scouted Joe Alt’s father, John. When John Alt came out he was 6-7, 275 pounds. Joe Alt, here we are in 2024, 6-7, 322 pounds. Joe Alt will be an outstanding bookend tackle for them for a long time.”

Alt arrived at Notre Dame in 2021 as a four-star recruit out of Totino-Grace High School in Minneapolis. He saw time both at tight end and on the offensive line as a true freshman before becoming a starter on the offensive line for the final eight games of the season.

After that, Alt was a staple in the starting lineup as he totaled 25 more starts over the next couple of seasons. He went on to establish himself as one of the top offensive lineman in the country in that time. This past season, Alt earned first team All-American honors after helping the Fighting Irish offense rank 12th with 5.3 yards per carry.

Notre Dame also ranked 21st with just 1.3 sacks allowed per game.

A finalist for the 2023 Outland Trophy, Joe Alt is widely considered to be the best offensive tackle in the NFL Draft and he was the first lineman off Kiper’s board. The fit for him in Tennessee is certainly an interesting one, but we’ll wait to see how things shape out over the next couple of months.

The 2024 NFL Draft isn’t set to take place until April 24th, so there’s plenty of time for changes with the combine and workouts still on the horizon. Alt should still be a high first-round pick, but there’s plenty of other teams that could be a potential landing spot for him as well.