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Newsstand: Where ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Notre Dame's Joe Alt in his NFL Draft big board

Kyle Kellyby:Kyle Kelly09/01/23

ByKyleKelly

joe alt notre dame
Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

College football season is officially underway, and hundreds of players nationwide will look to play themselves into NFL Draft selections. Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt is no exception.

But the 6-foot-8, 322-pound Alt has a head start on his NFL Draft trajectory, at least according to ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Kiper ranked Alt as the No. 7 draft-eligible prospect in his preseason big board.

“Alt started 21 games at left tackle from 2021-22 — and added one more in the Fighting Irish’s dominant win over Navy on Saturday — and I’ve been most impressed by his technique on a snap-to-snap basis,” Kiper wrote. “He rarely gets caught out. (Alt) mirrors well in pass protection, adjusting easily to secondary moves from edge rushers. He does a great job keeping his huge frame between the defender and his quarterback. He has allowed just 13 total pressures in nearly 700 pass-block snaps for the Fighting Irish.

“Alt’s father, John, was a first-round offensive tackle, too, going No. 21 overall to the Chiefs in 1984. He was 6-7, 275 pounds when he entered the NFL, which shows you how the game has changed since then.”

Kiper ranked Alt as his No. 2 offensive tackle behind Penn State standout Olumuyiwa Fashanu. He ranked 25 players in order, including his top six prospects at each position. Notre Dame’s Audric Estimé checked in as the No. 6 running back.

Kiper did not mention any other Notre Dame players in his preseason big board. 

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Notre Dame has a full slate of events planned ahead of its historic matchup with Tennessee State. 

Daniel Hobbs is the father of Notre Dame 2024 cornerback commit Karson Hobbs.

Notre Dame Quote of the Day

“I know he didn’t score a touchdown but he did some really good things in the game. Sometimes a stat sheet doesn’t show that.”

— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman commenting on Tobias Merriweather’s sophomore debut during Thursday’s news conference. 

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