Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt goes in top 10 of ESPN mock draft
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid mocked Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt to the Green Bay Packers at No. 7 overall Thursday morning.
Reid’s mock draft has Alt as the third offensive tackle drafted, behind Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Alabama’s J.C. Latham.
Alt was the only Notre Dame player selected in Reid’s mock, which is available exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers.
“The Packers gave quarterback Jordan Love a one-year extension, meaning he could have more than just 2023 to prove he’s their starter,” Reid said in his write-up of the Alt pick. “Now they need to get more help around him.”
Alt’s combination of size and athleticism, as well as his impressive tape in both run blocking and pass protection, is drawing the attention of NFL scouts and analysts like Reid.
“At 6-7 and 317 pounds, Alt is a well-built tackle with all of the tools to be a high-level starter, though his game is a little raw at the moment,” Reid said. “He is a little more technically advanced at this stage, but he reminds me of Brian O’Neill as a prospect. The Packers haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since 2011 (Derek Sherrod), but Alt is the type of prospect who could push Green Bay to break that trend.”
Alt’s battle to be the first offensive tackle taken will be one of the more interesting subplots of the Notre Dame football season. NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, which tracks various big boards and mock drafts from around the internet, believes the three of them are neck-and-neck entering fall camp.
Fashanu comes in at No. 10 overall on the consensus big board, while Alt is No. 11. Latham is close behind at No. 13.
Fashanu, Reid’s OT1, likely would have been a first-round pick if he declared for the draft in 2023. Instead, he chose to return to school and finish his degree.
“[Fashanu] is an explosive and well-balanced tackle with the mirror-and-match ability to handle most edge rushers,” Reid said. “He’s still filling out his frame, but Fashanu has the ideal length and strength to generate movement as a run blocker, too.”
Latham was in Alt’s recruiting class, in which he was the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 2 in the country, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Alt was No. 31 and 364, respectively.
“Latham is a strong and physical presence, and though he has played only right tackle during his time in Tuscaloosa, he is expected to switch over to the left side this season,” Reid said. “He is a bruiser in the run game and surprisingly nimble for a 6-5, 330-pound blocker, but he must reduce the 11 penalties he took in 2022.”
Related: Reid’s full mock draft
