Marvin Harrison Jr. Malik Nabers. Rome Odunze. I’ve heard these names in reference to the Chargers what feels like a thousand times in the past few months. A large majority of Chargers fans were clamoring for a number-one receiver. Despite this deafening noise for them to draft a flashy receiver, LA decided to stick and pick at #5, taking OT Joe Alt. To say that Chargers fans are divided over this draft pick would be an understatement. But when you really look at it, Joe Alt makes perfect sense at #5; and here’s why.
Since he became the Chargers Head Coach, Harbaugh has made it very clear how much he loves the offensive line. “If I asked you the question of what position group depends on no other position group to be good but every other position group depends on them to be good, what position group is that? Offensive line,” said Harbaugh at the NFL owners meetings back in March. “They’re not relying on any other position group. Every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good.” Joe Alt fits this mold that Harbaugh outlined. He’s the kind of player that you can put on an island and know that he’s going to do his job and do good at it. On the offensive line you want stability, and that’s what Alt brings.
“Justin Herbert needs a weapon!” Well, I think Jim Harbaugh put it best when he said: “Offensive linemen we look at as weapons.” Fans are quick to forget how tough these past few seasons have been for Herbert physically. In 2022 he played almost the entire season with fractured rib cartilage, which is an extremely painful injury, especially as a quarterback. Last season he suffered from a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand and then a broken index finger on his throwing hand which ended his season prematurely. All of these injuries came as a result of a failure at the offensive line. It doesn’t matter if you draft a #1 weapon if your #1 quarterback is too hurt to throw to him. Every Chargers game you turn on, Herbert is running for his life. What he needs is protection, not weapons.
Herbert is such a great quarterback, that he makes the other players around him great. He has never cared whether the receiver he’s throwing to is the #1 overall pick or an undrafted free agent. In his record-breaking rookie campaign, he was making dazzling throws to receivers like Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. An undrafted free agent and a player signed off the practice squad respectively. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a top-ten receiver, but you don’t necessarily need one if you have a top-five quarterback. Herbert makes everyone around him look good, but he can only do that if he has time in the pocket.
In 2023, Alt allowed only one sack and five pressures all season, and he played all twelve regular season games. Alt created a blockade on the left side of Notre Dame’s line. He grabs onto defenders and he doesn’t let go. He’s big, he’s powerful, and he’s impressively fast. Alt is the kind of guy that you know is going to be good for the next decade. He fits in perfectly with the ‘Harbaugh Scheme’ that the Chargers are implementing for a tough, physical football team. Harbaugh likes to play smash-mouth, old-school football. In a game Michigan played against Penn State last year, Michigan ran it 32 straight times to end the game. They ran it 32 times because they could.
Harbaugh’s mindset is to beat up your opponent in such a way throughout the game, that in the fourth quarter, you put the nail in the coffin and run the ball. Too many times have we seen Herbert have to take his team on his back and try to win them the game. Drive after drive, it’s all on #10 to get it done. Well, not anymore, because Harbaugh sees the value in building the team around his quarterback. There’s no one better to do that with than the monster of a player that is Joe Alt, and boy is he going to look good in powder blue.
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