Joe Alt has been as good as advertised to start his NFL career.
But it's hardly a surprise to anyone in the Chargers facility.
"I'm proud of him. I love the way he attacks the game," Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz said. "But we expected him to be great. And I expect him to get even better."
Alt, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has gotten off to a scorching start in his first NFL season as he has immediately assumed starting right tackle spot on the Bolts offensive line.
Alt ranks first among rookie tackles in Pro Football Focus' offensive grade entering Week 8 with a 75.6 and first in pass blocking grade with a 72.0. He also is second in run blocking with a 68.9 among rookie tackles with at least 100 snaps.
With the number of resources at his disposal on and off the field, the rookie has maximized it all and felt right at home in Year 1.
"I feel like I've taken things I've worked on in practice, learned from the guys, learned from Rashawn [Slater], learn from my O-line coach [Mike Devlin]," Alt told Chargers.com. "Taking everything one day at a time, getting better each and every week.
"I feel like I've done that so far but there's always more work to be done in improving each and every day," Alt added.
And it's not as if Alt hasn't had his fair share of tests to begin his pro career.
Alt went up against Pro Bowler and two-time Second-Team All-Pro Maxx Crosby 11 times in 1-on-1 situations in Week 1.
The result? Zero pressures allowed, marking the first time Crosby had been held with no pressures since Week 9 of the 2022 season.
"He was really good," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said about Alt's Week 1 performance. "We talked before the game, anyone's lack of experience will be made up by their inexperience. Just their fire in the belly, wanting to prove themselves."
He's allowed just six pressures in six games so far this season, the least among rookie tackles with at least 100 pass blocking snaps. Alt has also gone up against elite edge rusher such as T.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney.
Oh, and he's done it all after switching from being a left tackle in college to a right tackle in the pros.
Alt has relished this opportunity to go against the best — it's what he looks forward to the most.
"You just kind get your full bite of it right away and that was great for me," Alt said. "Going up against the best, I love to compete."
Devlin added: "This league has great, great defenders. It's an awesome learning experience for him. His mind is right and he's attacking it."
Aside from the adversity of high-level rushers, Alt has also faced challenges on the injury front early in his career.
The rookie missed Week 4 with a knee injury before returning in Week 6 following the bye week.
It marked Alt's first missed game due to injury in his college and pro career, something that was a tough learning experience for him.
"I'm a competitor, I want to help the team, my brothers win," Alt said. "It always fuels me, so not being able to be out there was tough."
The competitiveness and work ethic Alt has shown in every facet of his NFL career thus far —something Hortiz, Harbaugh and other have praised him for — is something he's carried with him from the onset of his football journey.
It comes from being raised in a household that had a former NFL offensive tackle.
Alt's father, John, spent his entire 13-year career with the Chiefs after being selected 21st overall in the 1984 NFL Draft. He was a two-time Pro Bowler that played 179 games (149 starts) for Kansas City and was inducted into their Ring of Honor in 2002.
Back in April, a day after his son was drafted by the Bolts, John Alt revealed the wisdom he imparted on his son from an early age.
"I said, 'You got to prepare every day, you got to work harder than the next guy and you got to refuse to lose,'" John Alt said following Alt's introductory press conference. "And study, study, study. That's how you'll succeed at left tackle or right tackle. Whichever."
John Alt has played a key role in Joe's development, spending time training him individually and also when he was at Totino-Grace High School in Minnesota.
Growing up around football, Joe Alt knew the ultimate goal he wanted to reach from a young age.
"[The NFL] was always a goal. I always, as a kid, put that out there as my goal," Alt said. "Once it became more and more possible, is kind of more when I cracked down more on let's take it one day at a time and try to improve."
"Now being in the NFL, Coach Harbaugh always says it's a one-week thing," Alt added. "I like to look at it as a one-day thing. How am I going to improve in today's practice and today's meetings?"
Alt recently said his appreciation for his father's advice and guidance has grown even more as the years have gone on.
"Once you grow up, you realize how much of an anomaly that is, having your dad play in the NFL," Alt said. "I was just so used to it, walking down, seeing pictures in the basement, it kind of felt normal. But in reality, it's not.
"You don't really get that at a young age and once you get older it's like, 'Wow,'" Alt added. "That's super special now for me, being able to have my father who has done it, gone through it and be able to get advice on him on basic things, from college to the NFL and all those things."
Alt said his father has been both his No. 1 supporter and harshest critic throughout the process, something that helped him grow every step of the way and continues to pay dividends today.
"My dad's taught me so much, but that's definitely one of the things he's really harped on," Alt said. "Just staying in the moment, trying to improve every day in everything you do. Just take one thing and try to make that a little bit better.
"Make those small improvements day in and day out, that's when you look back at a season and see you've gotten better," Alt added. "Making sure you take one thing and try to improve on it every single day is something I've taken from him for sure."
Alt later added: "I have a great offensive line coach teaching me here and … knowing I have my dad in my corner [to help] coach it and know the position in the NFL has been huge for me."
The drive and pursuit to get better has only grown since Alt arrived with the Chargers, thanks in large part to the environment he joined.
It's no secret the Bolts are an offensive line-centric team under Harbaugh is an offensive line-centric team, something Alt embraced right away.
"It starts from the top down. Coach Harbaugh said the tip of the spear to be the offensive line, and that's what we have to do," Alt said. "It comes from working in the film room and on the field, looking at Coach [Greg] Roman's plays, studying them, knowing them and going out there and trying to perform them and execute them at the highest level to be successful on Sunday.
"It's really from the top down and just going out there and making sure we're doing our end of the bargain as well," Alt added.
As far as big picture and what he hopes to do in his rookie year, that isn't at the top of Alt's mind as he goes through his first pro season.
What is, however, is how he can improve every day in every aspect in order to fully maximize the player he can become.
But even nearly halfway into his NFL career, Alt has shown the Chargers a glimpse of the high levels he could achieve one day.
"The potential is limitless," Roman said of Alt. "I was with [Ravens Pro Football Hall of Famer] Jonathan Ogden many years ago, and [Alt] has a chance to touch that stratosphere.
Roman added: "But that's a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience away."
