Joe Hortiz addresses challenges of determining where to play Joe Alt

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz opened up this week about his team’s challenges in deciding where to play Joe Alt. The Chargers drafted Alt with the No. 5 overall selection, making him the first offensive lineman to come off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Notre Dame star’s versatility makes it that much more difficult to determine where he’s needed most. Los Angeles returns left tackle Rashawn Slater for the 2024 season, whom they drafted No. 13 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Either Alt or Slater could begin the year as the team’s starter at right or left tackle.

“Our coaches will decide where players play and the players will show where they belong to play,” Hortiz said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I think the goal is to put the best five guys out there.

“We did it in Baltimore when I was there. We took left tackle Orlando Brown and put him at right. He just wanted to play. Knowing the competitor Joe is, he’s going to play wherever we put him and the same goes for the rest of the line.”

Based on Hortiz’s comments, it sounds like the Chargers are still undecided on where Alt will start the season. It’s a matter that will get worked out by the coaches and players throughout OTAs, training camp and even into the preseason.

While at Notre Dame, Alt was a unanimous First-Team All-American. He helped lead the Fighting Irish to one of the team’s best seasons ever in points and total yards. He allowed only five pressures, including one sack, in 347 opportunities and had a pass-blocking efficiency of 99.1 percent.

Chargers couldn’t pass on Alt

While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, the 48-year-old GM revealed how close the team was to trading the No. 5 overall pick instead of grabbing Alt. In reality, it wasn’t very close.

“We had a couple calls, one probably on the clock or before the clock,” Hortiz said. “It was a great offer in terms of what they were offering. They weren’t trying to get up to five for cheap. But we felt where it would take us to just wouldn’t put us in a range of of players we really wanted to consider.

“The best move was to take Joe [Alt],” Hortiz continued. “We were all in on Joe. Everyone loved Joe. Everyone from myself, Jim [Harbaugh], all the scouts, all the coaches, John Spanos, we all were all in on Joe.”

The first-year manager declined to share which teams were interested in trading up for their first-round selection.

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this report.