New NFL Combine Rumor Puts Jets Back in Mix for Star OL

Joe Alt, Notre Dame

Getty Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt warming up ahead of an NFL game.

The New York Jets stand to benefit from the latest juicy rumor at the NFL Combine.

Sam Phalen covers the Tennessee Titans for AtoZ Sports in Nashville and he shared some interesting comments on X (previously Twitter) from Indianapolis.

“Both Ran Carthon & Brian Callahan with a huge emphasis on acquiring playmakers and ‘guys that score touchdowns.’ Also referenced a draft class that is deep at OL and Bill Callahan’s ability to develop players. I get the feeling that WR at 7 is likely for the Titans,” Phalen revealed.

Before the NFL Combine, it felt like a foregone conclusion that the Titans would take the best offensive line prospect remaining on the board in the first round with pick No. 7. However this latest rumor has changed that dynamic.

That has opened the door for Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt to potentially fall into the Jets’ laps with the No. 10 overall pick. Alt is the No. 6 rated overall player and the top ranked offensive lineman on Mel Kiper’s big board for ESPN.


NFL Draft Insiders React to Titans Rumor From Combine

“Did you hear Brian Callahan’s comments [from] the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans? He said basically if it was equal they would value the touchdown scorer compared to the offensive lineman. That made me almost fall out of my chair because I’ve been a victim of well [pick] seven it’s the Titans here is Olu Fashanu or Joe Alt. Like it has been programmed in my brain but now I sit there and think damn they really do need a playmaker for Will Levis,” NFL insider Connor Rogers explained on the “NFL Stock Exchange Podcast.”

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus took it a step further based on what he was hearing at the NFL Combine.

“Ran Carthon [the Titans] general manager, I was at his podium earlier this week and the thing that stood out to me the most was when he talked about team building and he said their goal this offseason was to get faster. Like the goal is team speed,” Sikkema said. “We have often just said [pick] seven, whoever the top offensive lineman is [goes there]. If it’s Joe Alt great, if not it’s somebody else. If Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze is there at [pick] seven, I feel like it’s more than just in play, it sounds like the frontrunner.”

Throughout the mock draft offseason, the Titans have been the only team inside the top 10 pegged to take a tackle every time. The Jets could be the major beneficiary with them potentially off the board.


The Dream Scenario for the Jets in Round 1

Alt, 21, is listed at 6-foot-8 and weighed in at 315 pounds.

He was a team captain during the 2023 season and earned first-team All-American honors from nine different media outlets.

According to Pro Football Focus, Alt has exclusively played all of his snaps at left tackle for Notre Dame.

Up until this point, Alt seemed like a near impossibility to fall to the Jets with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round.

Rogers provided his “perfect” 2024 Jets offseason plans in a show at the NFL Combine.

“Let’s find a way to get Joe Alt. I don’t know how you’re going to be able to do it, you’d need him to fall or you’d need to get creative. Maybe you can call one of those teams if he fell out of the top five and say hey we want to flip up to you for some 2025 draft capital. Alt is a stud. He is the best offensive tackle I’ve evaluated since Penei Sewell,” Rogers said. “Man if you walk away [from the draft] with Joe Alt you kind of have that feeling when [the Jets took D’Brickashaw Ferguson] many years ago.”

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