One of the regular features of the pre-draft process is commentary by anonymous sources. Scouts, coaches, and executives have plenty to say about draft prospects, but more often than not the juiciest details come via anonymous comments.
Milwaukee NFL columnist Bob McGinn runs a pre-draft column every year featuring all sorts of random comments from anonymous scouts. They love giving opinions without attaching their name, and McGinn does a great job compiling the quotations.
I thought that for each San Francisco 49ers pick that showed up in McGinn’s column, I’d pull out what the scouts had to say. Some of the comments are going to be truthful, while it’s possible others were scouts looking to get a guy down to them, or push him up to get someone else down to them. Whatever the case, it gives us opinions from people who do this for a living, with slightly greater repercussions than your average draft prognosticator.
We’ll start with the 49ers first round pick, Notre Dame offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey. McGinn polled 14 personnel executives, asking them list their seven best offensive linemen, regardless of position. Quenton Nelson led the way, and he was followed by McGlinchey.
Below are three quotations from McGinn’s sources, followed by what executives told NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, and ESPN’s Mike Sando. We don’t know the context for why these people made the comments they did, but it does offer a little something to chew on as it relates to McGlinchey.
1. “He’ll be a good pro,” said one scout. “He’s just steady. Know what you’re getting. Nothing is great. Everything is really good. He’ll be a better right tackle but he can play left. Intangibles are through the roof.”
2. “He’s a great kid,” said a second scout. “He acts like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He’s not a devastating left tackle but he gets his man every time.”
3. “When he went against somebody good he wasn’t that impressive,” a third scout said. “He got exposed against Georgia big-time. He was probably just OK against (Harold) Landry and Boston College. I went back in the last two weeks and watched him. There’s some things he does well but, wow, he is nowhere remotely close to an (Jonathan) Ogden or (Tony) Boselli or Joe Thomas.”
AFC team personnel executive: “Notre Dame will even tell you that McGlinchey is better on the right side than the left side. He’s just more comfortable and consistent there so that’s probably where you play him. I think everyone tries to beat him up too much. He’s going to play in our league and be a decent starter.”
$ando: “I love McGlinchey,” an insider said. “He is just very solid, a pro’s pro. You talk to him, and you think he is a 10-year vet. He is polished and will be a great pick for them.”