For all the discussion of their issues up the middle, the Chargers boast some of the elite young offensive line talent in the league. Between Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, they have 2 of the league’s top 16 tackles heading into 2025, according to PFF‘s Zoltán Buday.
After earning a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team, Alt has drawn praise from PFF‘s Dalton Wasserman as one of six offensive linemen “positioned to break out in 2025.”
Alt ‘Poised to Anchor the Chargers’ Line for Years to Come’
During the first half of his rookie year in 2024, Joe Alt hadn’t yet showcased the skills that led to him being the 5th overall pick. But, his performance during the second half of the season “made everyone forget that he was just a rookie,” writes Buday.
“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,” Buday writes. His final PFF overall grade of 77.6 landed him in the top 20 among all qualified tackles, not just rookies.
The crazy thing is: he’s still got plenty of room to improve. Alt allowed 20 pressures and 6 sacks and committed 8 penalties last season, which all ranked in the bottom-half or near the bottom among all qualified tackles.
“If he ever needs to fill in for Rashawn Slater on the other side, he is perfectly capable,” writes Buday. “In fact, he played left tackle in Week 18 against Las Vegas and earned an 83.7 PFF pass-blocking grade, his highest in any game last season.”
“It’s even more impressive since Alt played right tackle, a position he didn’t take a single snap at in college,” Buday notes. “Another year at his new position could vault Alt into the ranks of the NFL’s elite tackles.”
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh Sees Hall of Fame Potential in Alt
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has never been one to shy away from superlatives. That’s especially true when it comes to the players that LA has brought in during his first season.
According to Chargers Jr. Writer Omar Navarro, Harbaugh recently told Matt Smith and Chris Hayre on the Chargers Weekly Podcast that he sees Hall of Fame potential in Joe Alt.
“I think he’s on track for a Hall of Fame type of career,” Harbaugh said, according to Navarro. “I do not feel like I’m going out on a ledge by saying that.”
Even after a top-20 season in 2024, Harbaugh believes that Alt has put in the work this offseason to move even higher.
“As good as he was last year, I’d call him right now one of our most ascending players on the team,” Harbaugh said, according to Navarro. “He’s that much better, that much improved.”
Alt finished strong in 2024, filling in for his even more dominant teammate on the other side of the line. When Rashawn Slater sat out Week 18, Alt “didn’t miss a beat as a pass-blocker, as he didn’t allow a single pressure from 41 pass-blocking snaps,” writes PFF‘s Gordon McGuinness in his ranking of the best rookies from the 2024 season.
While McGuinness ranked Alt as the No. 12 rookie in 2024, it’s clear that the sky is the limit for the Chargers tackle. With another season to work opposite a fellow young star in Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt has the potential to establish himself as a top 10 offensive tackle in the league in 2025.
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