Notre Dame Tackle Joe Alt Is A Popular Name In Early 2024 Mock Drafts
There are very few teams that have produced NFL offensive tackles like Notre Dame has over the last decade, and the Irish are looking to keep that rolling, possibly as early as the 2024 NFL Draft. Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt will be just a junior in 2023, but he's already a very popular figure in the way too early mocks for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Notre Dame has produced first round picks Zack Martin (2014), Ronnie Stanley (2016) and Mike McGlinchey (2018), and a second round pick in Liam Eichenberg (2021) in the last decade. Alt is expected to keep that tradition going.
I looked through 21 different early mock drafts for 2024, and Alt was a first round selection in each one, with almost all of them placing Alt in the top 10. Two mock drafts even projected him as the No. 1 overall pick.
Richie Bradshaw of FanNation had the Arizona Cardinals taking Alt with the No. 1 overall pick, as did Curt Popejoy of Draftwire. Here is why Bradshaw has Alt being the top overall pick:
"Yes, the Cardinals must absolutely consider Caleb Williams here given his generational talent, but this far out and with the complications of a Kyler Murray trade, we are rolling with the team committing to Murray and building around him. D.J. Humphries will be in his 30s in 2024 and Alt is a massive upgrade and the draft's top offensive lineman." - Richie Bradshaw
Four different mock drafts had Alt going No. 3 overall, with three projecting the Indianapolis Colts to draft him and another projecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to select him.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News is one of those who had Alt going No. 3 overall to the Colts. Here is what he had to say about projecting Alt so high:
"Alt has a chance to be the NFL's next great pass protector with such nimble feet for his monstrous frame. He also can push bodies out of the way in the running game. With some questions about Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith, the Colts should be in the market to better protect 2023 first-rounder Anthony Richardson." - Vinnie Iyer
Three more mock drafts have Alt going No. 4 overall, either to the Colts or the Tennessee Titans. Three more mock drafts have the Notre Dame star going No. 5 overall to the Colts, Titans and Chicago Bears. Another mock draft has Alt going No. 6 overall to the Titans.
Another mock draft has Alt going No. 8 to the Titans and three more have him going No. 10 to either the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Rams or the Washington Commanders. Only four mock drafts have him going outside of the Top 10, which includes Todd McShay of ESPN.
One of the mock drafts I read through had Notre Dame's other offensive tackle - rising junior Blake Fisher - also going in round one. That was Ryan McCrystal of Sharp Football Analysis. McCrystal had Alt going No. 4 overall to the Titans, and he had Fisher going No. 11 to the Green Bay Packers. Here is what he had to say about the Irish right tackle:
"Fisher is a former five-star recruit who improved throughout his first full season as a starter in 2022. Due to the presence of Joe Alt, Fisher has played right tackle, but he appears to have the athleticism to play on the left side as well." - Ryan McCrystal
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network had Fisher just outside of the first round, going to the Houston Texans with the No. 34 pick.
One of the more, let's say interesting, aspects of all the mock drafts I went through was the love for Ohio State's roster. In the 21 mock drafts I evaluated there were 12 different Ohio State players selected in the first round, and every mock draft had as many as four Buckeyes going in round one. One mock draft had eight different Ohio State players going in round one, which would be a record.
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