Notre Dame OT Joe Alt named an early 2024 NFL Draft prospect to watch
Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt is, at minimum, 15 months away from becoming an NFL player. The draft and scouting community already views him as a top pro prospect, though.
ESPN’s first look at the 2024 NFL Draft – essentially an early list of college football’s best players heading into next season – named Alt as a tackle to watch. The Irish junior-to-be was one of three names ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller included at tackle, along with Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Alabama’s JC Latham.
“Notre Dame has a long record of producing NFL-caliber offensive linemen, and Alt is next on the list. The 6-foot-7, 317-pound tackle was dominant in 2022 and has the length, power and balance to be an ideal left tackle in the pros. He has the tape and potential of a top-10 pick after allowing pressure on less than 1% of his 387 pass-block snaps this past season.”
Alt’s recruiting profile did not portend a potential three-and-done prospect. He was the No. 362 player and No. 31 offensive tackle in the 2021 On3 Consensus. He did not start playing offensive tackle full time until he was a senior at Fridley (Minn.) Totino-Grace High School. He was a 240-pound tight end as a high school junior.
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A fall-camp rise to the second-team unit as a freshman hinted he was ahead of schedule. He arrived on campus at nearly 300 pounds after spending his last year of high school adding strength. He was Notre Dame’s starting left tackle by midseason, thanks to a string of injuries and inconsistent play. He hasn’t given up the job since taking over in the second half of an Oct. 2, 2021 loss to Cincinnati.
Alt allowed 0 sacks and just eight quarterback pressures in 13 games this season, per Pro Football Focus. He was PFF’s top offensive tackle, with a 91.4 overall grade. His 91.0 run-blocking grade also was the highest among FBS tackles. He surrendered 2 sacks and 9 pressures in eight starts as a freshman, earning a 78.8 overall grade for 2021.
Alt, rising junior Blake Fisher and fifth-year center Zeke Correll return as starters on Notre Dame’s offensive line. Fisher was also a freshman starter, winning the left tackle job out of camp but vacating it after a torn meniscus in the first half of the opener knocked him out for the regular season. He returned to start the Fiesta Bowl at right tackle and stayed at that spot for all 13 games in 2022. Another successful year as a starter could put him in the 2024 NFL Draft mix as well.
