The 2024 NFL Draft is here, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Joe Alt.
Alt’s tape from 2022 and 2023 showed an LT prospect whose game was built on athleticism, length and technique more than physicality, strength and power. Alt is an athletic finesse LT whose tape showed a lack of strike power in his hands and throughout his body. His overall pass-protection approach is more passive than aggressive.
In the run game, Alt relied on excellent body position with a strong understanding of angles and leverage than he did on physicality and power. Still, there was no question he was consistently efficient in executing multiple blocking concepts.
Alt is a technician in the run game with an excellent feel for defensive movement and gap fluidity. He has the athleticism, balance and body control to react effectively to second-level defenders shooting gaps and playing downhill to release double teams.
What stood out on tape is Alt played with more physicality and power generation in the run game as the 2023 season progressed, with dominant snaps as a base and drive blocker. That will significantly help him in his transition to the next level.
The more tape I watched of Alt, the more I appreciated his high-level consistency of execution as a run blocker and in pass protection. Alt will need to be coached and developed as a pass protector, given that his hands are too passive, relying too much on arm extension and body length (often bending too far forward with excessive lean) to win.
But that will have to be modified and adapted in the NFL, where the good pass rushers will get inside of him if he doesn’t learn to fire his hands and strike with more force and initial power and stay better balanced over his feet without bending too much at the waist.
Overall, I believe Alt, with his size/length/plus athleticism/efficiency of execution, can be a Day 1 starter and a solid LT as he develops. Still, there will be growing pains and some bad snaps, especially vs. the better edge rushers in the NFL, as he acclimates to the NFL.
Alt came out of Minnesota as a 4-star recruit and became a full-time starter at Notre Dame in his freshman season of 2021. Alt finished his college career as a three-year starter at LT (33 consecutive starts) and was a unanimous First Team All-American in 2023.
He was featured a significant number of snaps in the Notre Dame run game as the tackle over lining up on the right side of the offensive line. He made an excellent block on North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson on Audric Estimé 80-yard TD run.
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