Malik Nabers would have been a Hollywood choice. The same happened with Rome Odunze, the other wide receiver available.
The Chargers went in another direction on Thursday.
Offensive tackle Joe Altwhom they picked fifth overall in the NFL draft, was a trademark Jim Harbaugh selection.
Harbaugh wants the Chargers run the ball?
Alt, who was measured at the combine at 6-foot-3 and 321 pounds, should allow them to do that.
Does Harbaugh want to protect quarterback Justin Herbert?
Alt, a two-time All-American at Notre Dame, should help them do that.
See more information: Chargers say they drafted ‘a weapon’ in Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt
Does Harbaugh want resistance?
Alt, who hasn’t missed a game in his three-year college career, should provide that.
“He’s there every day, he’s there every game,” Harbaugh said. “That tells me he’s a competitor.”
Who knows if a Los Angeles team could be a blue-collar team, but Harbaugh is doing what he can to turn the Chargers into at least a blue-collar team.
“Competitors are welcome,” Harbaugh said. “Any country in the world, any state in our country, any team – competitors are welcome.”
Following the forced departures due to the salary cap of Keenan Allen It is Mike Williams, the Chargers could have used their first-round selection on a wide receiver. Right now, the team’s two best receivers are Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.
Nabers, the threat from Louisiana State who was taken by the New York Giants at No. 6, was an option.
See more information: USC’s Caleb Williams and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu are the top picks and top defenseman picked in the draft
Odunze, the Washington receiver who went to the Chicago Bears at No. 9, was also a possibility.
“I know questions will come up and you’ll say, ‘How about a gun?’” Harbaugh said. “Offensive linemen are seen as weapons. This group, when we talk about attacking and we talk about attacking the offense, the offensive line is the tip of the spear.”
Harbaugh depended on a physical offensive line to win at Stanford. He had a strong offensive line to turn around the San Francisco 49ers. He rode a strong Michigan offensive line to a national championship.
Harbaugh’s group with the Chargers will feature a former All-Pro in Rashawn Slater at left tackle and Alt at right tackle. Alt, who played exclusively left tackle in college, said he was open to a position change.
“Whatever the coaches want,” he said.
Trey Pipkins III, who played right tackle last season, plans to move to guard.
“We will play the best five [offensive linemen] we have on the team,” Harbaugh said. “I predict there is an opening for Pipkins.”
See more information: Drafted by the Bears 25 years ago, another Los Angeles QB gives advice to Caleb Williams
Suddenly, an offensive line that was one of the team’s weaknesses last season has a chance to be a defining feature.
Harbaugh said the Chargers didn’t expect to have a top-five pick again and were determined to make this one count. What they did with the selection was a reflection of Harbaugh’s priorities. Updates on the receiver can wait.
The coach praised Alt’s size.
Harbaugh commented on how Alt towered over his father, John Alt, who was an offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs for 13 seasons. When John Alt was a player, he was listed at 6-foot-4.
Harbaugh praised the 21-year-old Alt’s athleticism and potential.
“I can say the word ‘weird,’” he said.
See more information: Rams’ top pick Jared Verse out of Florida State got pre-draft advice from Aaron Donald
More than anything, Harbaugh seemed excited about Alt’s competitive nature. Safeties coach Chris O’Leary had been at Notre Dame the previous six years. Defensive line coach Mike Elston was with the Fighting Irish in Alt’s first season.
“So we had the kind of information that is best to have, people who were inside the building, who were there with him every day,” Harbaugh said.
The selection decision was unanimous, according to Harbaugh. In other words, owner Dean Spanos or any of Harbaugh’s superiors didn’t try to push for a sexier selection.
And why should they? They already made a headline-stealing move this offseason by signing Harbaugh.
The Chargers invested in their coach. They believed him. And on the first day of the draft, they trusted him to solidify the team’s foundation, even if it wasn’t what many of their fans wanted.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
