San Francisco 49ers draft Mike McGlinchey: Instant grade and analysis

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 28: Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey (68) gets ready to make a block during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the North Carolina State Wolfpack on October 28, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers selected Mike McGlinchey with the No. overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s all you need to know about McGlinchey, including our grade.

The San Francisco 49ers have their franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. Now they have their franchise left tackle. The 49ers took Notre Dame Fighting Irish tackle Mike McGlinchey No. 9 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Two years ago, we saw the Baltimore Ravens make Notre Dame’s tackle Ronnie Stanley the sixth overall pick in the 2016 draft. So are there similar outstanding traits between him and the talented McGlinchey? The native of Philadelphia began his career at right tackle and eventually made the switch to the left side, where he teamed with fellow 2018 first-round guard Quenton Nelson.

The massive 6-foot-8, 312-pound prospect and All-American spearheaded one of the college football’s best ground attacks this past season. The Fighting Irish finished eighth in the country by averaging an impressive 269.5 yards per game on the ground in 2017. McGlinchey could be plugged right into the starting lineup from day one and at either tackle spot.

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Weaknesses

You look at the measurables for McGlinchey and it’s somewhat evident that he may need to get a little bigger if he’s going to deal with the wear and tear of the National Football League. It would not be a surprise to see him add 10-15 pounds to his tall frame and begin his career at right tackle.

While the former Golden Domer was Pro Football Focus’ top-rated tackle prospect entering this draft, you have to go down the list a bit when it comes to his efficiency in terms of pass blocking. Regardless of where he lines up this season, it could be trial by fire for a promising player who must be a lot more consistent when it comes to handling the pass rush.

Grade

This was a bit of a reach for McGlinchey, but rumors were circulating that he was going to go higher than expected. If head coach Kyle Shanahan can’t have Matt Ryan on his team, you might as well draft his younger cousin McGlinchey. We’ll have to wait and see on this one.

Grade: B

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