Former Notre Dame star Joe Alt helps blank All-Pro Maxx Crosby for first time in two years during debut
There may not have been a more overthought 2024 NFL Draft prospect than former Notre Dame All-American left tackle Joe Alt. Both during the season, and during the draft process, Alt was strangely picked apart as a player. Some spoke about his physicality, or lack thereof. Others spoke about a couple underwhelming reps against Ohio […]
There may not have been a more overthought 2024 NFL Draft prospect than former Notre Dame All-American left tackle Joe Alt. Both during the season, and during the draft process, Alt was strangely picked apart as a player. Some spoke about his physicality, or lack thereof. Others spoke about a couple underwhelming reps against Ohio State, as if no offensive lineman has ever had a narrative play.
Despite those critics, Alt was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the fifth overall selection, becoming the first offensive lineman selected last April. On Sunday, he made his debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, which included a matchup against All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby. The 6-8, 320-pound blindside protector more than held his own in his debut.
For the first time since week nine of the 2022 season, Crosby was left without a statistic. Obviously, Alt needs to share that accomplishment with the other four starting offensive linemen, but he did have 11 true pass sets against Crosby and more than held his own. That doesn’t count the reps he also had against him in the run game either.
It’s tough not to be excited about Alt, especially when you consider he is a part of a tremendous duo with left tackle Rashawn Slater. Those are your bookends for the foreseeable future, which quarterback Justin Herbert will appreciate.
On the day, the Chargers offensive line set the tone for the team. They managed to rush for 176 yards and a touchdown, averaging an incredible 6.5 yards per carry as a team. The offensive line also allowed just one sack and two tackles for loss on the day, making this a very clean game for them offensively.
