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INDIANAPOLIS — Joe Alt was born to be a left tackle.
But first he had to play tight end.
He held this position in high school and sometimes during his freshman year at Notre Dame. It was great for his footwork and was the example his father lived by all those years ago. John Alt, a Hall of Famer and two-time Pro Bowl player for the Chiefs, started at tight end before converting in college.
“Playing tight end was really helpful for me given the athleticism of staying quick on my feet,” he said Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Alt played exclusively at left tackle the past three years at Notre Dame. He was a unanimous All-American last season and is expected to be the top lineman drafted in April.
He’s a typical left tackle. If the Bears draft him at No. 9, he could use one of them to upgrade over Braxton Jones. Jones ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 42 tackle in his second year.
General Manager Ryan Pauls will have to choose a different path if he wants to upgrade the PFF unit called 18th-The best offensive line in the sport last year.
Polish, a former offensive lineman himself, was excited about first-round pick Darnell Wright as his first year at right tackle. He might consider moving him to the left wing at the risk of ruining a good thing. It would make sense for the Bears to draft Alabama’s J.C. Lathan or Oregon State’s Talese Fuaga. Both are likely first-round picks who also happen to play right tackle.
Left tackle remains the money position on the offensive line. Protects the quarterback’s blind side. But teams are spending more and more on the right tackles, whether it’s draft capital or free agent money. The Bears did the same thing last year when they selected Wright at No. 10.th Select in draft.
This year, there’s a chance they’ll start by acquiring another offensive lineman. They need a wide receiver to sit across from DJ Moore and an edge rusher to complement Montez Sweat, but there’s no bigger responsibility than handling their biggest investment. That person is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick.
However, the 6-foot-8 alternative looks fully formed at left tackle. Same goes for Penn State’s Olu Fashanu, who could be a top-10 pick. Both will remain there if the Bears pick them.
Both Lathan and Fuaga have spent the offseason cross-training at left and right tackle. Fuaga, who is considered a hitting pitcher, cited two players he models his game after, the Lions’ Penei Sewell and right fielder, both right tackles.
“I’m ready to play for either team,” he said.
Switching sides probably won’t bother Lathan. He had made an even bigger leap before, being the top recruit among defensive linemen when he moved to the ball-handling offense after three of his teammates injured their knees while playing basketball. There were two weeks before the season started.
“A lot of people said I just had the build for it,” he said. “But I was willing to work. And if you want to be great at something, you have to work for it. I was training every day after practice and trying to get better. …It was hard. . We started small every day and built on it.”
Now, the only question is which side of the offensive line will he play?
“I’m just getting started,” he said.
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