It did not take long last Thursday to have sons of NFL alumni drafted back-to-back in the first round.
Marvin Harrison, Jr., the son of 51-year-old Colts Ring of Honor inductee Marvin Harrison, was selected as expected by the Cardinals with the fourth overall draft choice. The selection of Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt by the Chargers on the very next pick was a somewhat more surprising move under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Several media mock drafts had a different offensive lineman—JC Latham from Alabama—as the Chargers’ initial pick while other reporters had Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in that slot. Alt’s father John played tackle for 13 seasons (1984-96) for the Chiefs
Coach Jim Harbaugh explains his choice of Alt by saying he views offensive linemen as weapons.
“The offensive line as a group is the tip of the sphere when we talk about attacking,” says Harbaugh. “Alt is a high, high ceiling and really high floor player. Offensive play starts up front and Alt will be a tremendous piece for our team.”
The elder Alt also was a first-round selection when the Chiefs picked him 21st in the opening round of the 1984 Draft.
“We are a little competitive in our family,” says Papa John, who was a two-time Pro Bowl tackle in Kansas City. “So, him being drafted higher will be one of Joe’s ‘gotchas’, I’m sure. However, I ran a faster 40 as a senior at Iowa and my vertical jump was eight inches higher. You know how it is. You often remember things the way you want to.”
Young Joe was a quarterback when he started high school in Minnesota and was switched to tight end as a junior.
“I just wanted to give Joe a chance to play some other positions and learn the game,” says John, who helped coach his son as a teenager. “I think that’s a great experience for anybody. However, with his body type, I always figured he was destined to play offensive line.”
The Alt’s and Harrison’s are just two of the 11 alumni father-draft choice son tandems who were featured last weekend. There also have been several signings of alumni sons as undrafted rookie free agents in the last 48 hours.
We at NFL Alumni wish all the young draft choices success in their NFL careers but admit we may be rooting…. just a little harder…for the sons of our Alumni members. We cannot wait to see them perform.
