Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz caught up with the former Notre Dame offensive lineman to discuss how his skills will transfer to the NFL, how his father impacted his career, the aspects of his game that resonate with other players and more. Joe Alt has joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of USAA.
Video transcript
JASON FITZ: Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz hanging out with Joe Alt– Joe joining us on behalf of USAA. We’ll get to that in a minute.
The draft is almost here. So let’s start, obviously, with what that experience is like. Is it already clear that in just over a week you will randomly discover, without a choice, where you will live?
JOE ALT: Yes, it’s definitely starting to set in. With a week to go, it’s getting closer and closer now. I’m really excited. For me, this waiting period here in April was a while ago, when visits ended. So now I’m getting excited.
JASON FITZ: Whenever I’m breaking down the offensive lineman – and what do I know – like, I’m a 5′ 9″ violinist – so that’s what I do. I look up as many ex-fat guys that I know that played in the league or played football high-level college student. When I say your name, I’m telling you, the eyes light up like I’m talking to a kid about Santa Claus so well for guys who play?
JOE ALT: Yes, I think I’m very proud of the technical part of the game. Something I had in mind is that if I work, I have my technique down, if something goes wrong I can always go back to my training. And this is something I maintain through my hard work. And so I think my ability – with my size and my athleticism – I think I have the ability to mirror guys in pass pro, but also use my size to my advantage, and my length.
So I think those are some of my strong attributes.
JASON FITZ: How does the game translate for you, from college and the offenses you were a part of to what you expect at the NFL level?
JOE ALT: Yes, at Notre Dame we definitely had a pro-style offense. So I feel like I have a good grasp of all the running schemes and the different types of pro passes, five-man, six-man, play action, things like that. So I feel like I’m well prepared at Notre Dame for the next level. I had three great offensive line coaches there who taught me different things that I could put into my game and use.
So I’m excited for this next step and to see where it goes and how I can take the skills I’ve learned and continue to take them to the next level.
JASON FITZ: Yes. Your father also played, right? So what kind of impact does this have on your process and how did you prepare to get here?
JOE ALT: Yes, my father had the biggest impact on my growth and my football career, both on and off the field. He taught me the ins and outs of on-field technique, weightlifting and running, and how to get in shape for the season and camp. But the biggest thing, until recently for me, is just the mental side of things.
He really taught me how to prepare and how to watch film and how to break down opponents and defenses, and also how to continue to have that mentality of– the big thing we always talk about is refusing to lose– whatever for. what you have to do to not let your guy hit the running back or hit the quarterback was the biggest thing he instilled in me. And he had the biggest impact on me during my football career, for sure.
JASON FITZ: All good. So tell everyone what you do with USAA.
JOE ALT: Yes. So I partnered with USAA here before the draft. I was able to fly to Detroit, to Selfridge Air National Base and I was able to meet a lot of military personnel and hear their stories. And the military has always been very important to me and my family. Both of my grandfathers served in the Army. So just hearing and being able to see the characteristics that they have, and similar to my parents, was really cool for me. And I was able to visit the base. I was able to fly in a Blackhawk helicopter with Bo Nix over Detroit and over the recruiting site.
It was a very good experience for me. And I always want to show my appreciation and gratitude for those who have served because I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them. So for me, it was a great experience and I was very lucky to be able to be a part of it.
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