The Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame’s Joe Alt in the draft to bolster protection for quarterback Justin Herbert. In his debut season, Alt logged over 1,000 snaps for the Bolts, giving up just six sacks to opposing defenses.
On June 6, Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman appeared on the Chargers Weekly podcast, expressing high expectations for a breakout year from the former No. 5 overall pick.
“I think Joe Alt, you’re gonna see a hands-down All-Pro this year. I mean, hands-down, All-Pro. I can see it right now. Last year, what was he? 20-years-old?… Now, I can tell he’s really worked hard this offseason,” Roman said. “He’s like 330 pounds, he’s kind of getting into that man strength… He walked right into my office the day after the season [ended] and went through a litany of things that he feels like he’s gonna do better and he’s already doing them out here [at organized team activities].”
“Just like little detail things. You know, elite-level type stuff. So he’s gonna take a huge jump.”
Joe Alt, the Notre Dame alum, posted an impressive 77.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Chargers, placing him 19th among 140 qualifying offensive tackles in the NFL.
The former Fighting Irish standout also secured a seventh-place finish in the voting for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Joe Alt Touted as Top Tackle Heading Into Next Season
After earning a strong grade from Pro Football Focus, analyst Zoltan Buday predicts that Joe Alt will rank among the NFL’s top tackles in the upcoming season. In PFF’s preseason list of the top 32 tackles for the 2025-26 season, Buday slotted Alt at No. 16.
“The Notre Dame product came into the league with high expectations after he was selected with the fifth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While Alt didn’t necessarily get off to a great start to the season, his second half of the campaign made everyone forget that he was just a rookie,” Buday wrote for PFF.”
“From Weeks 10 to 18, Alt earned an 81.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked second among all right tackles — behind only Lane Johnson.”
Joe Alt earned a 79.4 pass-blocking grade and a 71.6 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance throughout the season. In his first NFL postseason game against the Houston Texans, Alt played 56 snaps and didn’t allow a single sack.
Despite allowing only six sacks in his rookie season, Joe Alt is already focused on refining his game.
As Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman noted on the Chargers Weekly podcast, Alt is actively seeking areas to improve during the offseason.
Reflecting on his debut year after the season concluded, Alt identified key lessons to carry forward in his development.
“How much I’ve seen this year and what I’ve experienced,” Alt said during locker room cleanout, via the Chargers. “I’ve taken a lot in, seen a lot of different opponents, had ups and downs in games. Being able to feel that out is probably what I’ll take away…”
“What was my plan going into that game?’ and how did I do? If I didn’t do well, then was my plan off or did I not respond well to who I was going against? If it did go well, then how can I replicate this and make it happen week after week.”
