Why Jim Harbaugh Said It Was a “Unanimous Decision” to Draft Joe Alt

The Chargers tabbed Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 pick in Round 1 on Thursday night.

Here are five takeaways from Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz, Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and Alt:

There wasn’t much debate in the Chargers draft room.

Harbaugh called it a “unanimous decision” to take Alt, who was viewed as the consensus top player at his position in this draft class.

“A player on the top of our board,” Harbaugh said. “Nobody was rated higher than Joe Alt when it came to our selection.”

Hortiz added: “We were going to take the best player available for the Chargers, and that’s what we did today.”

So, why was Alt the pick at No. 5 overall?

To start, he stands at 6-foot-8 and is 321 pounds, meaning he has the frame that teams are looking for up front.

He also has an NFL skillset, as Hortiz mentioned his ability to dominate in both the run game and in pass protection.

“You watch him come off the ball in the run game — obviously, we’re going to run the ball here — and he drives off the line of scrimmage,” Hortiz said. “You watch him move players over three gaps.

“Very athletic, excellent range, high-level competitor,” Hortiz added. “Certainly an athlete as a pass protector. For a guy his size to bend and then recover … it was exceptional.”

Hortiz raved about his ability to recover quickly if he get off balance. Harbaugh praised his toughness and how he never missed a game in college.

Put another way, the Chargers front office loves Alt and the upside he brings.

A unanimous All-American in 2023, Alt allowed just one sack and five total pressures this past season.

He was Pro Football Focus’ top-graded offensive tackle at 90.7 among players with at least 700 snaps.

Alt said Thursday night that he’s fired up to be with the Bolts.

“Extremely excited, couldn’t be happier to be part of the Chargers…