Joe Alt 2024 NFL Draft Profile: Everything you need to know about Jets’ potential target
With the Jets currently holding the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, let's take a look at one prospect who may be a target: Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt.
By the Numbers
- Height: 6-foot-9
- Weight: 321 pounds
- 40-Yard Dash: 5.05
- Vertical: 28 inches
- Bench: 27 reps
- Broad Jump: 9-foot-4
|- 2023 Stats (12 games started): 713 offensive snaps, one sack allowed, two penalties
Prospect Overview
Bleacher Report: Overall, Alt is a special prospect due to his size, athletic ability and polish for a player who will be only 21 years old throughout the duration of his rookie season. While he isn't the most powerful blocker and will concede some initial ground in his anchor, Alt has virtually every other tool and skill to become an immediate impact starter at left tackle with the runway to continue ascending and cement his status as a foundational piece of a roster.
NFL.com: Long-limbed team captain with NFL-quality tackle play coursing through his veins. Alt plays a disciplined brand of football, avoiding penalties and working with fluid transitions from entry to sustain to finish as a run blocker. Alt is a capable drive blocker with the foot quickness to play onto the second level. He struggles to bend enough to compensate for his height and ends up playing with waist-bending and forward lean that can hamper his anchor against bull-rushers. Alt has quick hands and outstanding arm extension, promoting his ability to sustain blocks and redirect pass-rushers. He’s a good technician who carries himself with confidence from snap to snap. Alt clearly has the talent to become a Day 1 starter on the left side, but he’ll need to clean up his habit of leaning forward, or he could be in for some bumpy action early on.
Why Alt makes sense for the Jets
It was the league’s worst-kept secret that the Jets needed to overhaul their offensive line ahead of the 2024 season, but even after signing three new starters in free agency, New York looks set to invest further in their group. With the two starting tackles they acquired both under contract for only one season, and the potential for injuries, adding a rookie who can potentially start -- but doesn’t necessarily have to -- could be the wisest solution, especially if a good one falls to them.
Alt, who has already attended a Top 30 visit with the Jets, is widely considered to be the best tackle prospect in the draft, and few analysts feel he’ll still be available when the Jets make their first pick. And with other needs and no second round picks, the chances of the Jets moving up seem remote. However, if Alt is still available at 10, it seems unlikely the Jets will pass up the opportunity to select him.
During his college career, Alt only played left tackle, so he might not be an ideal swing tackle if he’s going to be expected to back up both positions. However, Tyron Smith temporarily moved over to the right side when he returned from injury in 2022, so perhaps he could do that again if Alt was going to replace Morgan Moses for any reason. Alt’s run blocking and technical ability would probably make him more than capable of filling in on the right anyway.
Alt’s length, athleticism and technique would give the Jets a talented addition to an offensive line that would have a brighter future with him added to the group. If he does drop to 10, it would seem like a no-brainer for Joe Douglas to select him.
NFL Comparison
NFL.com: Mike McGlinchey
