Film Don't Lie | Joe Alt
There was a lot of anticipation that this offensive line class could be a special one, especially when Notre Dame landed an early commitment from local elite prospect Blake Fisher.
Covid-19 had other plans and it hasn’t turned out the way Irish fans had hoped, at least in terms of landing commitments from blue-chip prospects.
The latest offensive line commitment, Joe Alt, is not a blue-chip prospect at the moment. Because of that, there’s probably not much excitement about his decision. Those thoughts could change quite a bit by the end of his senior season. The son of former Kansas City Chief left tackle John Alt is just scratching the surface of his potential.
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 260
Projected Position: Tackle
ISD Grade: 88 (3-star)
National Average Grade: 86.3 (3-star)
What he does best:
Alt lined up as a tight end, but projects to play tackle in college. It’s not hard to see why with his frame and his pedigree (his father was also a converted tight end that ended up at tackle). He consistently displays good leg drive as a run blocker.
When he fits, he drives through contact and works hard to sustain his block. This is pretty much everything you want to see from a blocker.
Despite being 6’7”, the leverage he plays with is very good. He gets good knee bend and adjusts when necessary.
His effort is awesome. He makes several blocks where he is finishing through the whistle. Even earlier in the season when you could tell he was not as experienced as a blocker, how hard he worked at it was never in question. By the time he reached the tail end of his junior season, he was consistently knocking defensive ends off the ball and driving them.
He’s obviously not someone with a lot of reps pass blocking as a tight end, but he’s a good athlete who moves well laterally and shows an ability to mirror rushers. There are some plays where you can see glimpses of his balance and ability to anchor while utilizing his length well.
What he needs to improve:
Other than the obvious with him having to put on weight and get stronger, Alt simply needs more reps.
He’s someone who started out playing quarterback and linebacker before moving to tight end. In the early part of the season it looked like a lot was new to him in terms of his blocking technique, but you could see him get better as the season progressed. His hands would get out of the frame of a defender, he crossed his feet a couple of times in pass protection, and there were other little things you could see from someone who is in need of more experience.
The good news is that his father is coaching the offensive line at his high school so he’ll have someone working with him closely on the little things.
What’s his ceiling?
His ceiling has everything to do with why Alt is a take in this class. Even though he comes from a football family, this wasn’t a player who came out of the womb kick sliding his way into a pass set.
He’s learning as a blocker and the improvements he made stood out on film. I expect Alt to be much better as a senior and wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him take a massive leap with his game on the field and then with his ranking after that.
He’s a good athlete and a pretty good basketball player. He’s a perfect example of someone who has not specialized and because of that his game is going to grow a lot in the next few years.
Jeff Quinn had a former tight end at Central Michigan who converted to left tackle. His name was Joe Staley and all he did was start 181 games in the NFL, get selected to the Pro Bowl six times, and be named to the all-decade team. It’s a reach to project Alt to end up having a career like Staley, but Notre Dame wouldn’t have offered if they didn’t see that kind of potential.
Right now this is a pickup that some fans aren’t going to be very excited about. Six months from now they may feel differently.
BREAKING | 2021 OL Joe Alt Announces Commitment To Notre Dame