Chargers News: Joe Alt Pick Earns Only Modest Praise from Key Pundit

Los Angeles' top selection is not getting rave accolades across the board.

Nov 27, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Joe Alt (76). / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Chargers, though in need of plenty of help at the receiver and running back positions (to be fair, those were eventually addressed, too), opted to go for a very Jim Harbaugh-esque smash mouth pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting former Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt.

How is the world handling the pick?

Many around the league are excited for the upside of the 6-foot-9 All-American, and see him as a great potential protector for Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert.

Alex Insdorf of Chargers Wire, however, while a fan of the pick overall (he awards it a B+ in a new grading), wonders if forgoing a top-tier wideout prospect in the first round for a good-but-flawed second rounder (Georgia's Ladd McConkey) was the right play.

"Despite rumors of picking JC Latham or a potential trade out of their selection, the Chargers stuck and picked Alt at five," Insdorf notes. "He was the team’s top player on the board. If they truly believed that Alt was that kind of an impact player, there was no wide receiver or Trey Pipkins contract that was going to change their mind."

"Alt allowed just five pressures and one sack last season. He was, without a doubt, the best tackle in the draft. Assuming the Chargers extend Rashawn Slater, they’ll have right and left side 'tips of the spear,' as Harbaugh would say on the offensive line," Insdorf continues.

"With ideal size, great functional and testing athleticism, and good tape, Alt was a blue-chip prospect," Insdorf writes. "The question for the next number of years will be whether he was the right one. The Chargers passed on two dynamic wide receivers, Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, to draft a presence like the former Notre Dame product on their offensive line."

"There will also be questions about switching to right tackle. Alt has worked with Alex Boone in the predraft process about a potential conversion given that he played left tackle in college," Insdorf adds. "The front office and leadership seem fairly confident that he’ll be able to make the switch."

On this last point — the aforementioned Rashawn Slater will get first dibs at left tacke, meaning Alt will be required to adjust positions.

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