Notre Dame football: 10 best players to play in the NFL this past decade
By Matt Clark
After starting games at both right and left tackle in parts of four seasons on the Notre Dame football team, Mike McGlinchey was named an All-American following his 2017 season with the Irish and was considered a top tackle prospect heading into the 2018 NFL Draft.
In the 2018 NFL Draft, McGlinchey was selected much higher than most analysts predicted, as the San Francisco 49ers used the ninth overall pick in the first round to select the former Irish offensive lineman. In doing so, McGlinchey was the first tackle taken in the draft and the second offensive lineman drafted, as he was selected three picks after former Notre Dame teammate Quenton Nelson.
Despite playing left tackle his final two years at Notre Dame, the 49ers would move him to right tackle opposite six-time Pro Bowl left tackle, Joe Staley. In 2018, McGlinchey would play all 16 games, playing 1,055 snaps and allowing just five penalties and five sacks on the season.
McGlinchey would receive a solid 74.8 rating from PFF and would be named to both the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) and the ESPN All-Rookie teams. In doing so, he would cement himself as one of the better right tackles in the league.
In 2019, McGlinchey would play in 12 regular-season games for San Francisco, missing four games due to a knee injury. However, McGlinchey would return to anchor the right tackle position, helping to lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl LIV berth.
In the injury-shortened sophomore season, McGlinchey would play 777 snaps while being flagged for six penalties and allowing five sacks. While the numbers are off from his stellar rookie campaign, the future remains bright for McGlinchey.