INDIANAPOLIS — Everything about Joe Alt’s football career has come with a purpose.
As he developed as a young player at Fridley (Minn.) Totino-Grace High School, he slowly moved toward his inevitable destiny of being an offensive lineman. He transformed from a quarterback into a linebacker into a tight end before reaching his final form.
Alt’s father, John, wanted his son to maintain his athleticism as long as possible before fully taking on the physical demands on the offensive line. And John Alt knew plenty about the craft as a 1984 first-round NFL Draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs as an offensive lineman out of Iowa.
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The plan couldn’t have worked much better for Joe, who became a starting left tackle in his freshman season and an All-American in each of his next two seasons. With Joe projected by many as the top offensive tackle in the 2024 NFL Draft pool, he made the decision to leave Notre Dame early.
“It was a long thought process for me,” Joe said. “I did a lot of consideration with my father and how he did it and what we talked about. I said, I feel like I had a calling from God and was put in this position, so I had to take advantage of that and listen to the calling and move on to the next step.”
Joe, who could become a top-10 selection when the 2024 draft beings April 25, is taking on the next step of the process at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He spoke to reporters Saturday and will complete his on-field workout in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
Though he’s speaking to most of the teams with early picks, he’s not too concerned about where people think he’s likely heading.
“I don’t pay too much attention to that kind of stuff,” Joe said. “I like to keep my head down and just keep working each and every day. That’s stuff’s going to take care of itself when it comes to that time.”
Beyond Joe’s obvious skill set as a 6-foot-8, 322-pound prospect who was graded by Pro Football Focus as one of the top tackles in college football the past two seasons, he wants teams to understand his love for the game and competitive drive. Both of those things have been passed down by his father.
“It’s that competitive gene in me,” Joe said. “When I step onto that field, it’s a different person. It’s a laser focus. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win that play and refuse to lose and let my guy get to the ball.”
That competitiveness applies to backyard games, board games and card games. As of late, he’s been on a big UNO kick. Makes sense for someone considered the No. 1 prospect at his position.
Though all 33 of Joe’s career starts at Notre Dame came at left tackle, teams have also discussed the possibility of him playing on the right side. He did a little bit of that with an unbalanced line formation against NC State that led to success for Notre Dame’s running game.
“I’ve been working it,” Joe said. “I did some tackle over this season. Then I’ve been working it in the combine training.”
Joe is going through the combine with Blake Fisher, his right tackle at Notre Dame. They came into Notre Dame in the same 2021 recruiting class.
“It’s a blast,” Joe said. “We’re actually roommates. So, we get to come back every night or leave every morning together. It’s just been a lot of fun. Just kind of continuing what we did in college to the next level.”
What Joe did was built on an intense focus on film study and technique. Film study not only allowed him to correct his mistakes, but it allowed him to be prepared for what his opposing defensive linemen were going to do.
“I definitely break down each opponent and see what their rush patterns are,” Joe said. “Is it power? Is it more finesse? That’s kind of how I game plan around them. If I’m going to be setting them shorter. How I set them, how I throw my hands, when I throw my hands.
“It definitely starts in the film room, and then I work those moves that I see on film with some of the guys on my team and get a feel for how I want to approach it during the game.”
That included Joe switching up his pass sets to be less predictable for the defensive linemen. For as much strength and will dictates offensive line play, a dialed in plan of attack can make a big difference. That way he’s always moving with purpose.
“I always talk about the first second,” Joe said. “I think that’s when footwork’s most important. It gets you into that position to be able to mirror guys post the strike. Footwork is very important and then getting you into that position so you can throw your hands. Then once you do throw your hands, it’s all about staying in front of the guys, staying inside out.”
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