By Bill Seals
Sports Reporter
Chargers select Notre Dame OT Joe Alt with the 5th overall pick
Share
Tweet
April 25, 2024
Photo courtesy Notre Dame Athletics
Chargers first round pick Joe Alt was a three year starter and a two-time All-American for Notre Dame at left tackle.
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick of the first round of the three-day 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday Night, April 25th. The draft is being held in Detroit, Michigan. Alt was rated the top offensive tackle in the draft and the Chargers obviously felt that they needed to solidify the offensive line at right tackle and add depth to the line.
Alt has only played left tackle in college. Ourlads Scouting Services described Alt as a player with a "high-floor and high-ceiling." Alt is a huge man at 6-foot-9, 321 pounds with 34" arms, 10" hands and a wingspan of 82 ¾ inches. He benched pressed 225 pounds 27 times and ran a 5.05 in the forty at the NFL combine. Alt was a first-team All-American in both 2022 & 2023. His father, John Alt, played 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection at offensive tackle.
Photo courtesy Notre Dame Athletics
Joe Alt is the third offensive lineman picked in the first round by the Chargers in the past four years.
The Chargers will have the fifth selection of the second round (37th overall) and the 69th overall selection in the third round of the draft in Day 2 of the NFL Draft. The Chargers still need help at several positions, including wide receiver, defensive tackle, cornerback, and center. Among the players that are still on the board for the second and third round that the Chargers could target are cornerback Cooper DeJean, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, wide receiver Troy Franklin, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, running back Blake Corum, and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins.
General Manger Joe Hortiz was questioned after the draft by the media regarding the selection of an offensive tackle when there were so many good wide receivers available, a definite position of need. "Yeah, there were," Hortiz said. "I think I've said it from the beginning, when we started talking about the draft, that we're going to take the best player available for the Chargers, and that's what we did today. That's what we're going to do at 37 [overall] and every other pick that we have. Obviously, he helps our team, and he helps us get better. That's what we want to do. We want to get better with every pick. That's what we feel like we did."
Reader Comments(0)