Notre Dame LT Joe Alt tempting for Bears in draft — if they can get him

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In any other year, there would be incredible intrigue as to what the Bears would do with the No. 9 pick in the draft. Instead, it’s become a bit of an afterthought as hype grows over them likely choosing USC’s Caleb Williams No. 1 and taking yet another swing at finding a franchise quarterback.

But any time a team has a top-10 pick, it’s thinking big. Those ultra-valuable selections are the best way to fill holes, of which the Bears have plenty, at premium positions, and general managers hope they’re landing a future All-Pro in those spots.

They might find exactly what they need in Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt.

Alt has established himself definitively as the top offensive lineman in this draft class and certainly is on the Bears’ radar, even with them needing to catch some breaks to be able to land him. They had at least four staffers at Notre Dame’s pro day Thursday, including offensive line coach Chris Morgan and co-director of player personnel Trey Koziol.

Most or all of the NFL was represented, including coaches Dan Quinn of the Commanders and Mike McCarthy of the Cowboys.

Alt, who is from the Minneapolis suburbs, is very familiar with the Bears and liked the idea of getting drafted by them.

“Being here in South Bend, we’re obviously very close, and I grew up in Minnesota, in the NFC North, seen a lot of games,” he said. “Being close to home is awesome. And just their tradition of football is important to me.”

Alt could be the final piece of general manager Ryan Poles’ offensive line overhaul. He inherited a patchwork group from Ryan Pace in 2022 and, in his third offseason, is close to solidifying a starting lineup that can win now and in the long run.

Most mock drafts have Alt going
between fifth and seventh, so it would take some maneuvering and good fortune to get him.

The Chargers’ No. 5 pick and the Falcons’ No. 8 pick are known around the league to be up for sale, and that could help the Bears on two fronts.

With the Bears likely taking Williams first, it’s to their advantage to have as many quarterbacks picked between second and eighth as possible so players at other need positions — primarily offensive tackle, wide receiver and defensive end — slide and are available at No. 9.

Mock Draft Database, which compiles projections from around the country, has Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye as the only quarterbacks going in the top eight, but many have Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy slotted in there as well, and Oregon’s Bo Nix and Michael Penix are rated just outside the top 10. The more of them who go in the top eight, the better the Bears’ shot at Alt.

But there’s also an open door for them to move up to get him if they’re that convinced. While the Bears don’t have much draft capital after the first round this year, they have plenty in 2025, and historically it hasn’t been prohibitively expensive to move up a couple spots. The Eagles jumped from No. 10 to No. 9 for a fourth-rounder in a draft-day trade with the Bears last year.

Poles has said he tries to avoid locking in on a specific player in the draft, but Alt might be worth it. He seems close to a sure thing after three seasons at Notre Dame, including All-American honors the last two.

His father, John, was a first-round pick in 1984, and starred at left tackle for the Chiefs for 13 seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice. He helped Alt transform from a 220-pound tight end in high school to the 6-9, 321-pound pillar he is now.

“He comes from an NFL dad, so he’s already a professional in how he acts and how he works throughout the day and how he takes care of his body and how he goes about his film,” Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand said. “I could sell Joe Alt to you all day.”

Quarterback Sam Hartman joked, “If you can find something bad on him, let me know. I’d like to find some dirt on him. He’s almost too perfect.”

Theoretically, the Bears would be set for years with Darnell Wright, the No. 10 pick last year, at right tackle and Alt at left. Then they’d move Braxton Jones to swing tackle, which is an unusually strong contingency plan. Nate Davis, still just 27, is their right guard, and left guard Teven Jenkins is in line for a contract extension. Poles is hoping trade acquisition Ryan Bates can be an upgrade at center over Lucas Patrick.

The Bears have plenty of other needs, but picking Alt and building their offensive line into a fortress ahead of Williams’ rookie season is tempting.