ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. projects the Tennessee Titans to help Will Levis' protection with the No. 7 overall pick.

Kiper, in his first mock draft of the year, projected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt to be the pick, stepping in to fill the hole at left tackle. As Kiper noted in his explanation, Alt allowed two sacks over the last two seasons at Notre Dame.

"They took Peter Skoronski at No. 11 a year ago and played him mostly at guard, where he was just OK," Kiper wrote on ESPN.com. "Why not solidify the left tackle spot with the top two tackles in this class on the board? Alt was the definition of a stalwart on the left side of Notre Dame's line, where he started 33 games."

".... Tennessee ranked 31st in the rate of sacks per dropback (11.1%) in 2023, so putting Levis in a better position to succeed should be a priority."

GENTRY ESTES: Whatever may come of Brian Callahan, he's who Tennessee Titans truly wanted

ANALYSIS: 3 reasons for excitement — and 3 big questions — as Tennessee Titans hire Brian Callahan

Alt is listed as 6-foot-8 and 322 points and looks like the prototypical left tackle. He was a two-time AP All American and a unanimous All-American in 2023. He's the son of former Chiefs offensive lineman John Alt, a first round pick in the 1984 NFL Draft who spent 13 seasons at left tackle for the team with two Pro Bowl nods.

The second top offensive tackle that Kiper refers to in his explanation is Penn State's Olu Fashanu. Kiper slotted Fashanu at No. 10 overall to the New York Jets.

Tennessee has had major trouble in the last two seasons trying to fill the void at left tackle left by Taylor Lewan. Short-term options Dennis Daley (2022) and Andre Dillard (2023) have been among the worst pass blockers in football. It's one of the top things on the to-do list for general manager Ran Carthon and expected new coach Brian Callahan.

The NFL Draft begins on April 25 and takes place in Detroit.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans mock draft 2024: Mel Kiper's pick for Tennessee at No. 7 overall