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Happy Monday folks, it was, unfortunately, a slow Sunday for the 49ers media. By all accounts, the 49ers rookie minicamp dates were Friday, May 4th through Sunday, May 6th - but nary a word has been published about Sunday’s minicamp, at the time of my writing this. It’s entirely possible that the third day is closed to the media, but I have no confirmation either way of that being the case.
However, some interesting factoids about Mike McGlinchey’s college career made their way to some recent interviews, and the rookie offensive lineman was able to shed some light on them. McGlinchey, like Joe Staley, was originally a tight end before undergoing a transition to offensive tackle. That type of athleticism has been a notable feature of Staley’s long and successful pro career, and has been touched on by Kyle Shanahan as one of the primary reasons the team coveted McGlinchey.
However, the factoids don’t end there. It was Brian Kelly at Central Michigan (with offensive assistant Jeff Quinn & strength/conditioning coach Jake Flint) who oversaw Staley’s rebirth as an offensive lineman, and the same group who, years later, oversaw McGlinchey’s transition at Notre Dame. In fact, they used Staley as a roadmap for McGlinchey’s path, and spoke highly of him, often.
The two have also been linked by other traits they share - namely an obstinate brand of toughness that has led to the pair rarely missing games, or even practices. It’s not something that has been overlooked by the 49ers coaching staff, either - Kyle Shanahan was quoted recently, saying “he’s [McGlinchey] a guy who shows up every practice, every week and that’s truly what we believe an O-lineman should do.”
Eventually, Joe Staley is going to retire. Maybe. Having a guy like McGlinchey to learn from him, and perhaps eventually take up his mantle, well, that’s reassuring.
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Mike McGlinchey’s college coaches molded him after Joe Staley | Branch, SF Gate
One analyst thinks Dante Pettis could be a 1,000 yard receiver | Bonilla, 49ers Webzone