2024 Atlanta Falcons Potential Draft Pick Profile: OT Joe Alt
Could the true Best Player Available move be to take Joe Alt if he's sitting there at No. 8 overall?
Joe Alt might be the best offensive lineman in the draft and is easily a top 10 talent in this year's draft. The Atlanta Falcons could make a surprising move and take the tackle at No. 8 overall and still have the perfect fit for their roster in the draft. Alt profiles better as a true left tackle than anything else in the NFL and probably shouldn't be flipped to the other side of the formation. Teams will love his leadership and abilities and want to take him to be their franchise guy.
Joe Alt
University of Notre Dame
Offensive Tackle
Athletic Comparison and Numbers
Joe Alt athletically is very similar to Robert Gallery. Gallery didn't have a great career as a tackle, but that was due to technique issues. He was one of the most athletic LT prospects of all time. #NFL #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/l4alniThs7
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Athletically, Joe Alt profiles like a longer-armed Robert Gallery. Absolutely prototypical for the position, Alt has the ideal speed, agility and explosion for a franchise left tackle. Gallery had a horrible career because he wasn't blessed with the long arms that Alt has and just didn't have the non-physical attributes that Alt possesses as well. Gallery is the rare occurance of an Iowa tackle failing in the NFL, too. So it was a bit shocking to see him fail. He shouldn't have failed.
Stats and Awards
2023: 12 Games Started at left tackle, 91.2 PFF Pass Block Grade, 86.5 PFF Run Block Grade, First Team All-American, Lombardi Award Finalist, Outland Trophy Finalist, Joe Moore Award semifinalist
2022: 13 Games Started at left tackle, 81.7 PFF Pass Block Grade, 91.0 PFF Run Block Grade, First Team All-American
2021: 8 Games Started at left tackle, 11 Games Played at left tackle, 76.0 PFF Pass Block Grade, 76.3 PFF Run Block Grade, Freshman All-American
Highlight Reel
Scouting Report
Strengths
Joe Alt plays with fantastic balance and holds his body in front of defenders with exceptional footwork. In pass protection, he's able to smack around defenders with a strong punch and guide them away from the quarterback. His technique is extremely sound in both pass and run blocking. He can anchor against the pass rush well and uses his long arms to extend defenders away from his body. He's highly football intelligent and knows counters for the counters that he gets hit with from opponent's pass rush plans.
Weaknesses
There are times where Alt is off-balance and has trouble maintaining a low center of gravity. He needs to maintain his proper technique consistently when he's in the NFL. He has lapses throughout the game where he lets his technique slide, especially towards the end of long drives. Teams will need to help him learn to counter during longer pass rushes. In run blocking, he tends to get too far over his feet and defenders will toss him, and that will have to be fixed at the next level.
Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags
As the son of a two-time Pro Bowl left tackle and brother of an NHL defenseman Mark Alt, Joe Alt has a lot of family lineage that helps him understand the game. His dad had him play quarterback and tight end growing up to understand it better. Alt cross-trained with hockey while he was growing up to help him understand his balance a lot better when he's playing football. He's a team captain for the Fighting Irish and someone that can be depended on to lead an offensive line.
NFL Stylistic Comparison: Jake MatthewsΒ
Joe Alt comes in with technical proficiency and high-level athleticism just like Jake Matthews did coming out of Texas A&M. Alt will be a franchise left tackle at the next level, but he doesn't have the projectable versatility that Matthews had. Alt and Matthews both came from big programs and families that had a lineage, but more than that, their film is almost identical in how they win at the line of scrimmage. They both fit in best in zone schemes as well.
How does he fit in with the Atlanta Falcons
If the Atlanta Falcons select Alt with the No. 8 overall pick, it says more about how they view Jake Matthews long-term. Matthews is nearing the end of his career and picking Alt would suggest that they want to have a replacement for Matthews before the end of his contract. Alt fits in well with the Falcons zone scheme that offensive line coach and run game coordinator has been running since 2021. Alt would be the perfect like-for-like replacement with Matthews, but with more natural talent.
All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.