Tom Krasovic: Joe Alt is already a good NFL offensive tackle for lucky Chargers

The rapid transformation of the Los Angeles Chargers from bad to dangerous was further evident last Sunday when rookie blocker Joe Alt stymied Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

Alt prevented Crosby from ever pressuring or hitting quarterback Justin Herbert, even when Alt lacked supportive “chip” blocking from running backs, tight ends or receivers.

Though the performance met the lofty projections for Alt entering this year’s NFL draft, the “control-Alt-delete” dominance nonetheless stood as remarkable.

The 21-year-old rookie was adjusting to a move from left tackle to right tackle plus noise from Raiders fans that muddied the communications of Chargers offensive players at the Kroenke Dome.

Alt earned high grades from former Chiefs All-Pro right tackle and Super Bowl champion Mitchell Schwartz in a video breakdown of each pass-protection snap on Schwartz’s YouTube channel.

“Pass-blocking is not easy,” Schwartz said, ”but he’s making it look like that in his first NFL game.”

As the 6-foot-8 1/2, 321-pound, baby-faced long-armed son of former Chiefs standout left tackle John Alt won snap after snap against the three-time All-Pro Crosby, Schwartz’s narration shifted into dry incredulity.

“Again,” Schwartz said, laughing as he watched Alt negate the Raiders’ best defender, “it’s getting repetitive, it’s getting boring — but, it looks great. Another fantastic rep against a premier pass-rusher in the NFL.”

When it was over, Alt had allowed only one significant pressure, coming when a lineman other than Crosby used leg power to drive Alt backward. The retreat caused a glancing blow to Herbert’s throwing arm during a pass.

Besides that one snap, Alt pitched a shutout.

Schwartz said Alt’s entrenched habits as a left tackle, his primary spot at Notre Dame, surfaced on a few snaps and made him vulnerable. But his rare ability to regain leverage in a flash got the job done on those plays.

“So much impressive stuff,” Schwartz said. “Really clean game in pass protection.”

Implications

Having one tackle who can check a rusher like Crosby, 27, for a whole game is a rarity in the NFL.

The Chargers now have two in Alt and Rashawn Slater, who’ve both shown themselves as capable run blockers.

While the rookie-year caveats still apply to Alt, few if any blocking experts would dispute that the tandem of Slater and Alt matches or exceeds the capability of the tackle pairs on several other Super Bowl contenders including three of last winter’s semifinalists: the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs, the Ravens and the Packers.

There’s more.

The four-year gap in NFL experience between Slater, 25, and Alt, who won’t turn 22 until late February, should enable the Chargers to keep them together many more years. When the salary cap hit on Slater nearly quadruples to $19 million next year, Alt will be in the second year of a fully guaranteed four-year contract that averages about $8 million yearly.

Next week, Alt will draw a harder test than Crosby when he goes against Steelers All-Pro T.J. Watt, in part because the Steelers will have a better read on Alt and the Chargers’ new-look offense than Crosby and the Raiders did.

But it appears Alt will provide franchise-elevating “surplus value” as a strong performer on a four-year rookie contract at a premium position, freeing up money for other spots.

Lucked out

The bottom line here: the Chargers’ collapse last year, caused by rampant Chargering and what actually was a helpful injury to Herbert in the 13th game, was a great boon to the franchise.

The inept football led John Spanos to fire Brandon Staley and hire Jim Harbaugh, a great coach.

In turn, the change meant less Spanos influence on the player roster.

And, because the ’23 Chargers outlost several teams that all season lacked a QB nearly as good as Herbert, Harbaugh and the GM he hired, Joe Hortiz, inherited the fifth pick in a top-heavy draft that saw the first three teams draft a QB.

They used it on Alt.

There’s not one AFC team that’s more improved than these Chargers.

____