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Joe Alt was simply too good to pass up.
The Chargers certainly had choices when they came on the clock at No. 5 on Thursday night in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Perhaps the Bolts could have taken a wide receiver or even facilitated a trade back to acquire more picks.
But the chance to get a top-tier offensive lineman to protect Justin Herbert and help the run game?
That was a no-brainer and the best of both worlds on offense.
Alt, the unquestioned No. 1 tackle in the draft, appears ready-made for the NFL.
His bloodlines surely don’t hurt, as his father, John, is a former first-round pick who is a member of the Chiefs Ring of Honor.
The Chargers said before the draft that they viewed the fifth pick as the No. 1 pick due to the collection of quarterbacks going high.
They then backed that up by taking one of the best non-quarterbacks available in Alt, who is a unanimous top-10 prospect.
Alt is ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid’s No. 5 overall player while Dane Brugler of The Athletic also has him in that spot.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr., ranked Alt at No. 8 overall.
Brugler offered the following breakdown of Alt:
Alt stays light on his feet with the big-man agility, body control and instinctive recovery skills to become a high-level run blocker and above-average pass protector very early in this NFL career. He projects as a first-year, scheme-versatile starter with the pedigree to be a cornerstone player for an NFL franchise.
There isn’t another prospect I was more impressed with while out on the road live scouting this past year. Alt came to the Irish as a tight end, but his transition to offensive tackle over the past three seasons has been seamless. He’s the most versatile blocker in this loaded OT class.
The 21-year-old Alt is listed at 6-foot-9 and 321…
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